Cheater
by A246
Summary: Claire finds out she's pregnant but when she goes to tell Shane she finds another surprise, what will she do?
1. Chapter 1

Claire's Pov:

I feel really strange, I feel like I'm about to throw up at any second, I need the toilet all the time, I smell things that other people don't and I'm really tired. Shane won't be home for ages, he's been working late most nights for the past 2 weeks now and I hardly get to see him. He's always asleep when I get up for college and when I get home he's at work. I really miss him; I mean why wouldn't I miss my husband? The last time we had sex was about a week ago and that is just too long. We got married about 2 months ago now and that was the happiest day of my life but recently I feel like we've drifted apart and I don't know why. When I spoke to Eve about it she just said that maybe it was because he was always working, we both were; I'd taken a second job at the university as well as my job with Myrnin. We couldn't wait to get enough money to so we could buy our own place, not that we didn't love living with Michael and Eve it was just we were married and when we decide to have kids I want us to have a home. I was sitting on the sofa watching the news, which shows how bored I really am! Eve and Michael weren't home from work yet either so it was just me. Eve was making dinner tonight but I couldn't wait until she got home because I was just too hungry. I lazily walked to the kitchen and made myself 4 sandwiches; I swear all I do these days is eat! Starting tomorrow I'm on a diet because Shane won't love me if I become the size of a house! I carried my snack back into the living room and sat back in front of the TV, I finished my first sandwich in 3 bites. I haven't stopped yawning all day, I can't understand why because I've been going to sleep quite early. Once I'd finished I pulled the blanket that was hanging on the back of the sofa over me, within seconds I was fast asleep. I was having the best dream ever, Shane and I were at the park having a picnic; there was a little girl there too. She looked about 1 years old and was the most beautiful little girl I'd ever seen. The best part was that she ran over to Shane and I and called us mummy and daddy! The next thing I know Eve is waking me up.

"CB dinners ready, god you were in some deep sleep; I've been trying to wake you for the past 5 minutes. I thought you were dead"

"Oh sorry, I don't know why but I've been really tired recently as well as other stuff"

Her expression was a mix between shock and happiness

"What other stuff?" she asked curiously

"Like I've been really hungry and I need the toilet every minutes, I always have this feeling in my stomach like I'm about to be sick. Weird right?" I asked wondering why she was looking at me like that

"CB when was your last period?" she asked me and I felt myself blush

"Eve!" I almost yelled

"Just answer the question"

"Um…what's the date?"

"12th"

"I…should've been on, on the 6th"

A smile appeared across her face

"CB I think you're pregnant!" she almost screamed but I put a hand over her mouth

"I can't be, the last time Shane and I had sex was about a week ago"

She raised her eyebrows, oh my god it all made sense; I'm pregnant!

"Right after dinner, I'm going to lie to Michael and say we're going to the cinema to have a girly night out and then we will get you some tests ok?"

"Ok, um…where is Michael?"

"He's not home yet but he just phoned saying he'd be here in 5 minutes"

I just nodded and followed her into the kitchen. The 3 of us ate dinner in silence; I was too shocked to say anything. Could I be pregnant?

"So Michael Claire and I are going to the cinema after dinner" Eve said and I looked up, my cheeks turning red

"Well I'm coming, no way am I letting you go out alone in the dark" he said and my heart started racing, Eve looked at me

"But we'll have each other and it was going to be kind of a girl's night out"

"I'm sorry babe but you've seen the news recently, they haven't killed the killer of those girls yet so I'm not letting either of you go without me"

"Fine" she sighed and looked at me with an apologetic smile.

After dinner Michael did the dishes while we got ready.

"Hey I'm sorry" she said as we got into my room

"Not your fault"

"We're still going to get them; we'll just say we need to get some tablets or something ok?"

"Ok" I replied and got changed

We met Michael downstairs 5 minutes later, he drove so we got there pretty quickly. I texted Shane to tell him we wouldn't be home.

'_**Hey babe, **_

_**Gone to cinema with E&M won't b back when you get home but left u dinner?**_

_**C u l8r, **_

_**Love you x'**_

He replied second's later saying

'_**Thanks babe, I'm coming home early because I'm not feeling well :( love you too x'**_

"Shane's not feeling well, he's coming home early" I said to Michael and Eve

"Do you want to go back?" Michael asked

"I'll ask him if he wants me to hold on"

'_**Aww babe I hope you feel better, do you want me to come back? x'**_

'_**No its fine babe, you enjoy yourself; I'll see you tonight. Thanks anyway, love you x'**_

"_**No problem babe, love you too x'**_

"He said he was fine so lets keep going" I said and looked at Eve through the mirror, she gave me a reassuring smile. We went in a brought the tickets, we watched a chick flick which Michael wasn't to happy about but hey, he insisted he'd come so it's his fault. Claire wasn't really in the mood to watch a film; she sat next to Eve who was sitting next to Michael who were kissing the whole time! Claire just wanted to get the tests and get the results.

"Hey um…I need to go to the chemist to pick up some medicine for Shane" I said and looked away from Michael because if I looked at him he'd see right through me.

"Oh ok then, I'll drive you" Michael said

Eve and I exchanged another look; it was like Michael new we were up to something. We reached the chemist and Eve and I got out, Michael was unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Hey you don't need to come with us Michael, we'll be fine"

"What are you guys hiding?" he asked

Before I could even think I quickly said "Nothing"

"Yeh well that just proves it, I'm coming"

I could feel myself getting hotter; Michael was going to be there when I bought my pregnancy test! We all walked into the chemist.

"Um…Michael can you look for some anti-flu tablets please"

"Yeh sure" he replied

Eve dragged me down another isle, one that was full of pregnancy tests.

"What one do I get?" I whispered

"I don't know get one of everything to be sure"

I nodded and then pulled pregnancy test after pregnancy test into my arms

"Hey I got the…" Michael said and looked up at me with all the pregnancy tests in my arms; my face was going red and so was his.

"Um…come on Michael lets leave Claire to it and buy Shane's tablets" Eve said and dragged him off.

They paid ahead of me.

"Um…Claire…we'll meet you outside"

"Hey Eve can I do it here…or anywhere…just not at home"

"Oh, ok yeh of course we'll go back to the cinema"

"Thanks"

"No problem"

I paid for all 6 different pregnancy tests and walked back to the car, I couldn't look at Michael; it was too embarrassing. We pulled up outside the cinema and got out of the car, we went straight to the bathroom.

"I'll…um…wait out here" Michael said

"Ok" I replied and pulled Eve inside with me

I pulled out the first test, peed on it and waited 3 minutes. These 3 minutes could change my life forever!


	2. Chapter 2

"What does it say?" Eve asked

"It says I'm pregnant!" I whispered

"Are you sure maybe we should...?"

"Try the others, yeh I have and they all the say the same thing, I'm 3 weeks pregnant!"

"Oh my god congratulations!" Eve screamed and threw her arms around me

"Oh my god I'm going to me a mum!" I squealed

"Oh my god I'm going to be an aunty!" she shouted

While we were jumping up and down Michael had come into the girls toilets, he was watching us with a huge smile on his face.

"Congratulations Claire, I'm so happy for you!" he said and hugged me

"Thanks…Michael…hey…I…got…to….breath and….so….does the….baby" I chocked out

"Oh yeh sorry, I'm just so happy for you and Shane"

"Me too, these past couple of weeks we've been so distant and we're always working I just hope the baby brings us back together"

"I'm sure it will; he really loves you"

"I know" I replied

The car ride home was hilarious; Eve didn't shut up about the baby.

"Oh my god do you want a girl or a boy?"

"I don't mind as long as it's healthy" I said

"I suppose, so what are you going to call it? We need to get baby things, we have to go shopping tomorrow, there's so much to do and I'm so excited"

"Hey Eve, you need to control your excitement because I need to tell Shane and I want it to be a surprise so no running in screaming 'she's pregnant!' like you did when we came out of the cinema"

"Fine oh and sorry I was just so excited"

"Yeh the whole world and I know that" I laughed

"We'll stay in the car and give you two some privacy" Michael said

"But…" Eve tried to protest

"Thanks"

"No problem, I'll keep her here" he smiled and kissed Eve on the head

I stepped out of the car and ran up to the front door; I put the key in the hole; my hands shaking. What was he going to say? I stepped over the threshold into my warm house; I felt all my nerves disappear. I had his medicine in my hands; a glass bottle.

"Thanks" I whispered to the house

I crept up the stairs, our bedroom door was closed but I could here noise coming from it; maybe he was watching TV. I put my hand on the golden doorknob, my hands were shaking again; I took a deep breath and slowly eased open the door. I gasped and dropped his medicine on the floor, making it smash and ooze onto the floor. He was on top of another girl, someone I didn't recognise. I felt sick to the core. _**How could he do this to me?**_ I thought to myself, my husband was cheating on me and I was carrying his child! His face snapped towards me, his expression pained and his mouth dropped open. The girl on the other hand had a huge smile on her face. I looked at his hand, the wedding ring was taken off and he'd put it on the bedside table. My cheeks were damp from all my crying, he pushed the girl out from underneath him and tried to stand up.

"Claire…"

"Don't even think about it"

"Claire please…"

"Shut the fuck up Shane!" I screamed

I walked over to the bed and over to the girl he'd been cheating on me with, she was blonde, had big boobs and not even that pretty. I grabbed her badly dyed hair and pulled her out of my bed.

"Get the fuck out of my bed and get out of my house!" I yelled

She was screaming but I continued pulling her hair, Shane grabbed my hand to release her hair; I turned around to face him. He was naked, I felt all the anger boil over and I kneed him where it hurts. He collapsed to the floor, gasping in pain; his scream made my insides hurt even more. I still had her hair in my hand, she had a sheet wrapped around her body; my sheet. I yanked it away from her and dragged her downstairs and to the front door. I opened it, letting it slam against the wall; she was still screaming. I turned her to face me, slapped her and pushed her out the front door and into the dark. I saw Michael and Eve getting out of the car, their faces filled with shock. I went back upstairs to Shane, he was getting changed.

"Claire…look I'm sorry"

"You're sorry! You're sorry!" I screamed "Is that supposed to make everything better, you've ruined my life; you've broke my heart and all you can say is sorry!" I didn't slap him, oh no that would be too easy. I full on punched him in the nose; he staggered backwards just as Eve and Michael appeared at the top of the stairs. I carried on hitting him, tears blurring my vision. I was screaming at him, at some point I'd knocked him to the floor and had got on top of him. I didn't stop hitting him, I knew it wasn't doing much damage but it made me will a bit better

"Claire what the hell!" Michael asked and pulled me off of Shane

"Get off me Michael, I'm going to kill him!" I screamed and lunged for him again but Michael grabbed the hood of my jumper

"CB tell us what he's done wrong?" Eve asked me

I turned around to her, my eyes filled with anger and pain

"I came up here and found that blonde slag in my bed!" I shouted

"You what?" Eve said and lunged for Shane, Michael grabbed her and that meant his grip on me loosened. I took this opportunity to hit Shane again, Eve soon joined me.

"You fucking bastard!" she screamed at him

He had his arms over his face protecting him from our blows. Michael lifted us both off him, we were still kicking, but we knew it wouldn't hurt him.

"Girls calm down, Eve stop, this is between Claire and Shane"

"Michael don't tell me what to do! Claire is my best friend, she's like a sister to me and when she gets hurt I get the person who hurt her got it? That's what we've always done but because it's Shane it's different? I don't think so, if anything it's worse because we both know he's the person who can hurt her the most!" she screamed at Michael

Michael put me down, I didn't have the energy to fight him anymore; Shane was still on the floor in his protective position. I sat in the corner, looking straight ahead of me; tears still flowing uncontrollably. A face blocked my view, it was Eve's.

"Claire sweetie speak to me"

I couldn't do anything, her voice was a muffled sound in my ears, she was tapping my face trying to get me to speak but I couldn't. My heart hurt too much.

"Michael help me, she's not doing anything" Eve was crying

Another face came in front of me.

"Claire we need you to stand up ok?" he was using his vampire powers, I could feel the force in my head; my eyes wouldn't close, it hurt.

"Claire stand up" he repeated. This time my body couldn't resist, they helped me up from the floor. The world was spinning around me, I felt sick and really dizzy; my legs couldn't hold my weight. I dropped back down to the floor, my eyes closing, meeting the darkness. They hadn't expected it; no one could stop me, my head hit the floor.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up on something soft, my eyes opened slightly; the light burning them. My head was killing me, my chest was worse; I couldn't breathe, and it felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. My hand clutched my chest and I tried to breath. Oh my god, I was on my bed, the same bed Shane had just been having sex in with another girl. My body jolted upwards quickly, too quickly; I felt the dizziness return, someone was with me because I heard them gasp. I looked around the room and there was Shane, Eve and Michael, they were all watching me with worried expressions on their faces. I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom, I made the toilet just in time; I was sick. Someone came behind me and held my hair, it was Shane.

"Get off…" I started but was sick before I could finish

"I said get off me!" and pushed him back

Eve came and took his place.

"It's ok CB, you're going to be ok" she whispered and smoothed my hair

"Get him out of…" I was sick again

"Here, please Eve"

She nodded

"Shane get the fuck out of here now! She doesn't want you and I don't want you"

"I don't care, I'm staying here"

"Michael get that dickhead out of this room before I show him what I'll do with my 6 inch heel"

Michael's eyes widened but he pulled Shane out of the door, I could here them arguing.

"You didn't tell him did you?" I whispered

"No and neither has Michael"

"Thank you" I replied, the tears started up again, Eve hugged me from behind

"Hey, Shhh it's going to be ok, I promise you"

I knew it wasn't but I nodded anyway, I got up and rinsed my mouth out before brushing my teeth. We made our way downstairs after that, Shane and Michael were sitting on the sofa watching TV like nothing had even happened. Shane's face was swollen and his nose had blood stained tissue paper coming out of it, which made me feel better knowing I'd hurt him; even if it wasn't as much as he'd hurt me. We stared at each other for another minute before I turned to face the others.

"I'm going"

"What?" they all said together

"I can't stay here, I can't be with him"

"But you can't, where will you go? Your parents don't live here anymore"

I shrugged "At a hotel"

"Are you being serious? It's Friday night, that's when all the vampires do there um…business" Eve said

"Better than being here"

"No you're not going, I won't let you" Shane said

"What do you think gives you the right to tell me what to do huh?"

"I'm your husband"

"Not anymore you aren't, it's over; I want a divorce. The sooner the better" I replied laughing and chucked the wedding ring at him

"Claire…"

"Look Eve, Michael I'm going and you can't stop me"

"Yes we can" Michael said

I heard a portal open.

"Myrnin?" I asked and they all looked at me

He was moving vampire speed down the stairs so it was all blurry. When he stopped moving he had Shane up against the wall, his fangs down.

"You hurt her, you die" he said with a smile on his face and then his head went up, ready to bite. Michael ran to him and pushed him away but Myrnin being the older vampire sent him flying into the other wall, Eve screamed and ran over to him. I stepped up to Myrnin and put my hand on his arm.

"Myrnin stop, he's not worth it" I said

"But he hurt you Claire"

"Yeh I know he did but I don't want you getting in trouble for me and you know you will"

"But…"

"Myrnin please"

His hands dropped from Shane's neck and his fangs folded away.

"Myrnin I need to stay at the lab tonight, is that ok?"

He nodded

I closed my eyes and made the portal.

"Claire please don't go with him, he's dangerous" Eve whispered

"Yeh and I'm going to be dangerous if I have to stay with him tonight, look Myrnin won't hurt me and if he tries; I can handle him, just ask Michael"

They all looked at him and then Myrnin and I escaped through the portal.


	4. Chapter 4

Eve's Pov:

"Now look what you've done you bastard, she's gone to spend the night with some crazy vampire" I yelled at him

"I didn't tell her to go" he yelled back

"You fucking asshole, if you hadn't of slept with that ugly bitch in the first place we'd all me celeb…having fun right now"

"What were you going to say?" Shane asked curiously

Shit, oh god I think I just let it slip

"Nothing" I replied

"Tell me" he said fiercely

"Eve he has a right to know" Michael said

"No he doesn't!" I replied and looked at Michael with a 'What the fuck are you doing?' face

"We'd be celebrating because Claire found out…that Amelie and Myrnin weren't going to turn her into a vampire"

I let out a sigh.

"What?" Shane said "They were going to turn her? Why didn't anyone bloody tell me" he screamed

"Because mate you've hardly been around a lot have you, probably screwing that slag whenever you can. Look Claire's been worried for weeks now and you haven't even realised, shows what kind of a husband you are" Michael shot back

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Wasn't my place to say, Eve and I realised something was wrong ourselves we didn't need someone to tell us how Claire was feeling. You used to be the best person at knowing how Claire was feeling but you've changed. She's been crying herself to sleep for the past few weeks. Eve and I had to sleep with her just so she felt safe because you were never there. She wouldn't even go upstairs on her own in case Amelie was waiting for her. She has nightmares of herself becoming a vampire, she'll wake up crying" Michael said

This wasn't a lie either, Claire had told us how she was feeling and we had really slept with her to keep her safe. She's been so worried about all of this.

"Why didn't you say?"

"Claire told us not to, she said she didn't want you to feel bad because you hadn't realised. She's always thinking of you when it comes to her actions but it looks like you really don't care if you hurt her"

He was silenced.

"Claire really needed her husband and you weren't there, she thought she'd done something wrong and she even told me that if she had done something bad enough to make you take extra hours then she deserved to become a vampire"

Oh my god Claire had said that! They never told me. I looked over at Michael and silently asked if that was the truth and he nodded. Poor Claire bear, first she gets told she's being turned and then she finds out she's pregnant but walks in on her husband having sex with another girl!

"No, god this was all just a bit of fun; it wasn't meant to go this far" Shane whispered and put his head in his hands

"Are you telling we you ruined Claire's life for a bit of fun!" I bellowed at him, what a fucking dick. I pounced on him and hit him; once again Michael got involved and pulled us apart. We all sat there in silence, I was glaring at Shane.

"How long have you been sleeping with her?" I asked him

"Eve…"

"I said tell me!"

"About 3 months" he mumbled and looked down

"But that was…before the wedding! If you didn't love her then why did you marry her?" I asked

"I do love her; Olivia was just a bit of fun"

"If you wanted fun why didn't you just do it with your wife?"

"I don't know" he said and burst into tears

"You know what, I can't be doing with him; I don't want to see him, I'm going to bed Michael, you coming?"

He nodded and followed me up the stairs, leaving the stupid dick behind. Just as I crawled into bed and cuddled up with Michael my phone rang. I pulled away from the kiss.

"Urgh" I groaned

"Just leave it" he said and continued kissing my neck, I have to say I was very tempted not to pick up but when I saw the caller ID I couldn't leave it.

"It's Claire" I said and he stopped

"Answer it"

I opened it up and held it to my ear.

"Hello" I asked

"Eve…"

"Yeh it's me CB, are you crying?" I asked

"Yeh…I'm…leaving" she whispered the last bit so I wasn't sure if I heard right

"What did you say Claire? You're going to have to speak up" I was getting really nervous now

"I said I'm leaving"

I stopped, I didn't know what to say; my CB couldn't be leaving could she?

"No Claire you can't leave!" I screamed

A few seconds later I heard Shane pounding up the stairs banging on my door.


	5. Chapter 5

Claire's Pov:

"Claire are you ok?" Myrnin asked me as I curled up in the corner crying

"No, I'm pregnant Myrnin and he cheated on me; my husband cheated on me!" I yelled the last bit

He was over to me in seconds and he pulled me into a hug.

"Oh little Claire, it's going to be ok"

"No, no it's not Myrnin. I can't be here anymore, I can't forgive him; I have to go"

"What do you mean?" I felt his body stiffen against mine

"I have to leave Morganville, tonight; I have to speak to Amelie" and with that I broke free of his arms and made a portal, I jumped through before Myrnin could stop me and snapped it closed after me, leaving his calls behind me. When I looked up I saw Amelie looking at me with and odd expression.

"Claire what are you doing here?" she asked, her face remained the same

"I need to leave…Morganville, please I have to go" I said and burst into tears

"Why ever for?" she asked

"Shane…cheated on me and I'm pregnant. I can't let him back in my life, I can't let him in my child's life; please after everything I've done for you, let me go; I'm begging you"

I didn't think she'd agree but she did.

"How long for?" she asked

"Forever" I whispered

There was silence for a few minutes before she finally nodded her head

"You're right, after everything you've done for my people I grant you permission to leave Morganville forever"

I gasped "Thank you so much"

"When would you like to leave little one?"

"Tonight if possible"

She nodded again

"I'll sort everything out; you get your things ready; I'll have a car pick you up in 2 hours"

"Thank you" I said again, she nodded and then a portal opened and Myrnin came flying in

"You can't let her leave" he shouted

"Yes I can Myrnin and I have, she deserves it, she needs it"

"But we need her"

"No we don't Myrnin, she's done everything me need, and my people are cured"

"But…"

"Don't question me Myrnin! I have made my decision"

He just nodded

"Go little Claire, pack you have 2 hours"

I quickly took the portal back to Myrnin's lab and pulled out my phone. _**I better give them a warning before I just pack**_ I thought to myself

I dialled Eve's number and waited while it rang.

"Hello" she said

"Eve…"

"Yeh it's me CB, are you crying?" she asked

"Yeh…I'm…leaving" I whispered the last bit

"What did you say Claire? You're going to have to speak up" she said, her voice was shaky

"I said I'm leaving"

She stopped "No Claire you can't leave!" she screamed

"I can and I am Amelie gave me permission; I'm leaving in 2 hours, once I've packed"

"No CB please, I don't want you to go; we'll kick Shane out if we have to"

"Eve, I can't ask you and Michael to do that, you've known Shane since you were kids and you've only known me for 3 years"

"But…I don't want you to go"

"I don't want to go either but…"

"Then don't go"

"You know I have to, I can't let him ruin this baby's life, I won't let him; he's already ruined mine and that's already bad enough, I have to protect this child from him"

There was silence again and then I heard the phone being passed on to someone else.

"Claire, Eve's right you can't leave" Michael said

"Yes I can Michael and I am; you can't change my mind"

"Claire…"

"I'll be home in a sec" and I hung up

I took a deep breath and made a portal back to the Glass house living room. When I stepped through Shane was sitting on the sofa, he stood up and came towards me, Eve and Michael had come out of his room. I quickly made another portal and dived through, I came out the other side in my bedroom. I heard Shane shout my name. Eve and Michael came into my room.

"Claire…"

"Lock the door" I said cutting Michael off

"You can't go CB I need you, we need you" Eve cried

"I have to go, my baby comes first; you have to understand that"

"I do but won't it be best if you stay here with us where we can protect you" she replied

"You mean stay with Shane, I don't think so"

"Claire please…" she started

"Look Eve, Michael I'm touched that you don't want me to go but you're not going to change my mind"

They nodded

"Hey Eve can you help me pack?"

She just nodded

"I'll get some suitcases from the attic for you" Michael said and left the room, I quickly locked the door because I could see Shane sitting outside, ready to get in. he banged on the door but I just ignored him. I turned to face Eve, she was crying now; her mascara had run down her face. She jumped into my arms and hugged me tight.

"I don't want you to go, I'm going to miss you" she said and carried on crying

"I'm going to miss you too" I replied, tears trickling down my face


	6. Chapter 6

Michael came back with the suitcases; I unlocked the door and quickly pulled him inside before locking it again as Shane started to stand up. They both helped me pack, Eve doing the clothes and Michael putting all my belongings in the case, like my photos.

"Hey Claire do you want this?" Michael asked holding up Claire's wedding present to Shane and I, all our hen and stag pictures. I just nodded.

"Yeh I might need them for the future, you know?" he had to think about what I was talking about but after a minute he realised I was talking about the baby.

"Oh yeh of course"

It took us an hour and a half to get everything packed; I was bringing everything I owned, every memory I had over the past 3 years was coming too. Michael carried all my bags downstairs and Eve and I followed, Shane grabbed my arm as I started down the stairs.

"Claire we need to talk about this, you can't just leave"

"Yes actually Shane I can and I am, so get your hands off me. I meant what I said, we're over I want a divorce"

"What if I don't sign?"

"Then I'll get Amelie or Myrnin to make you sign, you know how angry he was, wait until you see Amelie. If you don't sign when I send them, then you better be prepared to get hurt because I'm telling you that you will"

"Claire please it was just a bit of fun, I never wanted it to go this far"

"How long?" I asked not wanting to hear the answer

"Claire…"

"I said how long Shane?"

"About 3 months" he replied and looked down

"Oh god, that was before the wedding; why did you go through with it, oh my god" I cried and just dropped down on the sofa

"I'm so sorry"

"Don't…don't even go there Shane, it's over we're getting a divorce. You'll never be a part of my life and I'll never be a part of yours"

He didn't say anything. Eve came over to me and hugged me

"CB you need to keep me updated ok? You need to look after yourself and phone me all the time, I want all the details and all the pictures, yes?"

I knew she was talking about the baby.

"Of course I will….aunty Eve" I whispered the last bit so Shane couldn't hear.

She smiled

"I want an update too" Michael said

"Yes dad you can have one too"

"Look guys if you ever need me to come back because you've gotten in trouble with some bad ass vampires then just give me a call and I'll be there, Amelie said I could come back whenever I wanted too; or if you ever get hurt and are in hospital and I find out you haven't told me I will come back just to put you back in there ok?"

They all laughed

"Ok deal"

"You need to invest in a webcam CB because I'm going to want to see you all the time ok, to see how much has changed"

"I will definitely get one"

"So where will you be staying?" Michael asked

"With my cousin Becky in Hollywood"

"How old is she?" he asked again

"Don't worry dad she's 24 and she's got 4 other roommates to keep me safe"

"Girls or boys?"

"There's going to be me, Becky, Lucy, Becky's boy friend Aidan, Jack and Ryan"

"And how old are the guys?"

"Aidan's 24, Jack's 26 and Ryan's 22, so don't worry I can only date one of them" I said and smiled "Well maybe two"

"No you won't" Shane said

"You don't tell me what to do and seeing as you had an affair I can date whoever I want" I glared at him

"Claire I don't like you living with older guys" Michael said and frowned

"Hypocrite much? You and Shane are older than me but I still lived here"

"Yeh but we were only older by a little bit, Jack is 26 so he's 7 years older than you"

"Even better, it just means that he's not going to be as immature or selfish, plus I've known them all since I was a baby so it will be fine" I replied and looked at Shane

The doorbell rang; it was my time to go. I opened it and there stood Oliver, Myrnin and Amelie. They all came in, Oliver started loading the car.

"Claire are you sure you want to go? because I could just kill the boy and make it easier for you"

"No thanks Myrnin and I want to go"

"Ok my dear" he replied and hugged me

"Don't tell Shane about the baby" I whispered in his ear

"Of course" he replied

When I looked over at Amelie she also nodded. Oliver came back in.

"Claire the car's packed, it's time for you to go" I nodded, quickly giving everyone another hug; including Amelie. Shane pulled me towards him and kissed me deeply, I didn't want to leave him; I didn't want to stop kissing him but I had to. I pushed him off me and walked out the door and into the night. My friends waved me off as the car drove on. I'd never forget Morganville or the people I love, unfortunately Shane was still going to be one of those people; I just couldn't help it.


	7. Chapter 7

Shane' Pov:

I can't believe she's gone, she's out of Morganville; I always wanted her to go, to be safe but she's not with me. I've screwed up big time, my wife wants a divorce, the big scary vampires want me dead and my best friends hate me. How could all this happen? Olivia was just a stupid mistake, it was only meant to be a one time thing, a bit of fun but I don't know what happened; it lasted 3 months. It ended my marriage, made me lose the one thing in my life that was good; made me lose the love of my life. When I'm with Claire I feel so alive, so invisible. Without her I'm nothing, I'm as good as dead. I need her like a plant needs sunlight, like a vampire needs blood; I just need her. From the moment I met her I fell in love with her, even with all the bruises she looked like an angel; when I heard her voice it was like I was in heaven. At that moment I realised this was my future, she was my future; I had to keep her safe, to love her and never hurt her. But I have, I've hurt her in ways that can't be fixed or covered up; I've broken her heart. I'm so stupid, how could I have let this happen? Let her slip through my fingers. Now I'm never going to see her again, she's probably going to fall in love with one of her new roommates and there's nothing I can do about it because I made this happen. She won't speak to me; she won't even look at me. I watched as she drove out of my life forever, I suppose I couldn't really do anything; there were 3 vampires in the room who all loved Claire and who all want me as far away from her as possible. _**Shane stop making excuses, this is your fault and you could've persuaded her to stay but you didn't, the only person to blame is yourself! **_ I thought to myself.

I was sitting on our bed, remembering our first time; Claire's first time. Everything Claire and I did together, most of our memories happened in this room, like her accepting my proposal, wearing Lyssa's ring; holding her close to me as we slept, touching her warm body…everything. I'm going to miss her so much. Eve and Michael hadn't spoken to me ever since she left; Eve kept giving me daggers and telling me how much she hated me. I don't blame her; she and Claire were like sisters. They didn't even want me to live in the house anymore but Claire had made them keep me here, that's Claire always doing good things, even after I cheated on her. I don't deserve any of this, I didn't deserve Claire either. She trusted me and I let her down. I felt tears escape my eyes, I couldn't live without her; I didn't want to.

I went into the bathroom and straight over to the cabinet, I opened it up and took out some pills; I stood there until I'd swallowed all 18 tablets, I could feel them braking down my system, I began to feel drowsy; soon the pain would go away and I'd be with Alyssa and my mum. Claire would get what she wanted, freedom from me forever; at least I can finally give her what she wants. The pain in my stomach was unbearable, I gripped it tightly; my legs gave way and I fell to the floor with a loud bang, my head hit the stone tiles; it went black.


	8. Chapter 8

Michael's Pov:

I heard a bang from upstairs; I could hear Shane whimpering too. I froze, Eve was leaning against my chest, and she felt the sudden change in my body.

"Michael what's wrong?" she asked

"It's Shane, I just heard a bang"

"Oh just leave the drama queen, he's probably just letting of some steam; he has just lost his wife…and baby"

"No this is different; it doesn't feel right; I can feel his pain. I'll just go check on him ok?"

"Fine whatever" she said grumpily, I know Shane's been a dick towards Claire but he's still my friend. I ran vampire speed up the stairs, looked in his bedroom but he wasn't there so I looked in Claire's too; no sign of him. I heard another bang, it was coming from the bathroom. I slowly pushed open the door, unsure of what I might find. There he was lying on the bathroom floor unconscious, a pill bottle next to him.

_**Shit!**_

"Eve!" I screamed and knelt down to check if he was still breathing

"What" she shouted back clearly annoyed that I'd gone to see Shane.

"Phone the ambulance now! He's dying"

She appeared by my side in seconds, phone in hand. She let out a loud scream and dropped beside me.

"Eve phone the ambulance now!"

She nodded and dialled the number with her shaky hands.

"Help, we need help at the glass house; um…he's OD…hurry he's dying" and she put the phone down

"God Shane you stupid dick" she cried

The ambulance arrived shortly after that, he was breathing as they loaded him into the ambulance. Eve and I went with him, god he looked like shit; his face was paler than mine and I'm a bloody vampire. When we arrived at the hospital he was rushed straight to surgery leaving Eve and I in the waiting room. She was pacing backwards and forwards, it was kind of making me dizzy.

"We need to phone Claire" she said and stopped in front of me

"Um…Eve they're not speaking, he cheated on her and she's leaving"

"Michael she still loves him, she told us and if Shane dies and she finds out we never told her she will never forgive us. She's still his wife"

"But…"

"I don't care what you say I'm phoning her"

I didn't have time to disagree because she was already waiting for Claire to pick up.

"Hello?" I heard Claire say

"Claire its Eve, you need to come back right now"

"Eve I'm not coming back I already told you…"

"Shane tried to kill himself, he OD; he could die Claire, he needs you"

There was silence.

"I'm coming back now"

The phone call ended and Eve joined me again.


	9. Chapter 9

Claire's Pov:

"Oliver I need to go back, now!"

"Why? You're getting what you've always wanted, to leave Morganville"

"Shane's in hospital, he tried to kill himself; I need to go back, I need to know if he's ok"

"But he hurt you…broke your heart and you want to go back?"

"Yes I still love him, I can't be with him but I'm never going to stop loving him"

"Very well…I'll call Amelie, inform her of the situation and she if she can change your flights"

"Thank you" I whispered

The car jerked forward and then spun around so we were facing the direction of Morganville. Shane had tried to kill himself! How stupid could he be? I'd done this to him; I made him suicidal, how could I do this to him?

The car pulled up outside the hospital and I bolted out the door before Oliver could say anything, I found out what floor Shane was on and I ran up the stairs as fast as I could, not wanting to wait for the lift. I ran over to the surgery door and peaked through the window, he was lying there having his stomach pumped, all connected up to a machine with a tube sticking out of his mouth. I felt the tears fall from my eyes and roll down my cheek, I did this to my husband! I didn't hear anyone creep up behind me but then I felt a hand on my shoulder, pulling me to face them; I let out a quiet scream. It was Michael. He pulled me into his big arms.

"Shhh" he whispered in my ear

"This is my fault, I did this to him; I drove him to try and kill himself" I cried and burst into tears

"No you didn't, Shane was stupid enough to cheat on you, you just left him; he hurt you not the other way around ok?"

"But if I hadn't have left then he wouldn't have tried to kill himself"

"Don't blame yourself, Shane wouldn't want you too. It's not your fault, you did what you thought was right for your baby; we all understand that, no one blames you"

"But I do, I blame myself"

"Claire don't, stop hurting yourself; you've had enough suffering to last a life time please don't do this to yourself. It's not good for you or the baby"

I just nodded because I knew if I didn't he'd still be persuading me that I wasn't my fault. We went back to the waiting room; Eve was sitting with her knees up on the chair and her head resting on her hands. She looked up and smiled at me, getting up to give me a big hug; I'd only been gone for an hour I can't imagine what she'll be like next time I visit.

"I missed you" she said

"Eve, it has only been about an hour since I left, you used to be away from me for longer than that everyday"

"Yeh but, I didn't think you'd be back unlike before"

We all sat together, our arms around each other while we waited for news on Shane. I was so tired and hungry; I'd be on my plane by now probably asleep. The door opened, we all stood up expecting the doctor but instead it was Amelie.

"Hello Claire, how is he?" she asked in a calm voice

"I don't know the doctors haven't said"

She nodded "You're flight has been changed until later tonight, you'll have to travel during the early hours but it's better than nothing and if anything should happen to Mr. Collins then I will rearrange again"

"Thank you"

"No problem, just phone me" she replied and then she was gone.

The doctor came in half an hour after Amelie had left; Shane was going to be all right! I felt the pain and sick feeling in my stomach disappear. He'd have to stay in hospital for a couple more days but the doctor said that that was just so they could keep an eye on him, he was going to need it. The others went in to see him, he was still unconscious and would be for a while but I had something I had to do first. I picked up a piece of paper and a pen from the side and started writing him a letter.

_**Dearest Shane,**_

_**I'll always love you, no matter how many times you've hurt me that will never change. I don't want to leave you but I know that it's something I have to do, I can't let you hurt me anymore; it hurts me too much. You'll always be in my heart and I want you to know that I'll never forget you. Don't hurt yourself Shane because it hurts me to see you like this. When Eve phoned me and told me you tried to kill yourself, I felt something I'd never felt before; something I never want to feel again. I hope you understand why I'm leaving, I trusted you…twice and you broke my heart; I can't give you a third chance because I'm afraid that next time I won't be able to deal with it…and I need to deal with it. I've taken most of our memories, so you'll find it easier to forget me. Goodbye my love.**_

_**Love always and forever,**_

_**Claire x**_

The ink smudged a little as my tears dropped on the page. My plane would take off in an hour and a half, I'd give the letter to Michael and Eve to give to Shane and then I'd go. I walked into Shane's room, he was still unconscious thank god; Eve and Michael were sitting by his bed. Michael turned as I came in; he smiled at me and motioned for me to come closer.

"Hey guys can you give this to Shane for me please"

"Yeh sure but why can't…you're leaving aren't you?"

"I have to Eve, I can't let him see me because he'll think we're getting back together and we're not. I can't go through the goodbye again"

"But…"

"Please Eve just give it to him and tell him I'll always love him and not to do anything stupid"

"Ok" was all she could say

I handed over the letter, gave them both another hug and then walked over to Shane; I gave him a long kiss on the lips. His eyes didn't open but his heart started beating faster, a smile grew on my face. I turned and left the room, running down the corridor, down the stairs and out the hospital doors. Oliver was already waiting for me; I jumped in and drew in a deep breath.

"Drive" I said and he did.

Tears were streaming from my eyes, I turned around to have one last look at the hospital; Eve had run out after me and Michael after her, I saw Eve collapse against him, he wrapped his arms around her and then gave me another wave. I turned back to face the front when I could no longer see them.

It didn't take long before we passed the Morganville borders, I got a headache but I remembered everything; Amelie had said that she wouldn't take my memories in case I wanted or needed to return, that made me feel a bit better knowing that I wouldn't forget my best friends or my baby's father. I arrived at Amelie's private jet; Oliver unloaded my bags and even helped put them on the plane! I went to say thank you to him but he pulled me into a weird, awkward hug instead.

"Um…thanks"

"I can't believe I'm actually going to say this but I'm going to miss you kid, won't be as fun and I won't have anyone to torment" he ruined the last bit and then smiled that evil smile of his.

"First off I'm not a kid, I'm married, well was married and I've got a baby on the way and second; if I find out you do anything to hurt my friends, including Shane I will personally come back and stake your vamp ass, got it?"

"For someone so small you can be quite scary" he replied, so not what I wanted to hear

"I said do you understand? And don't even think about telling Shane I'm pregnant because like I said before I will come back and stake your vamp ass, so is that clear enough for you?"

"Yes little Claire that is crystal clear and I simply can't help if I accidentally let slip to Shane"

"You do that and I will kill you" I snapped at him

"Goodbye Claire" he laughed and turned away from me

I watched as he got back in his car, I would've still been watching him if it hadn't have been for the flight attendant calling me to board.


	10. Chapter 10

Shane's Pov:

I woke up to bright lights above me burning my eyes, I tried to move but my stomach hurt so bad that I just decided to stay where I was. Then I remembered swallowing the tablets, _**was I dead? Was this heaven?**_ No it couldn't be my mum and sister weren't here. _**Great!**_ I can't even kill myself properly, first I make a lousy husband, I bail out of school and I cheat on my wife now I can't even kill myself. _**What sort of man am I?**_ I turn my head slowly to the right making sure I don't move the rest of my body too, Eve and Michael were both sitting there asleep but there was no Claire, oh god she left, she's gone. I totally forgot I mean what did I expect to happen, for her to come running back to me; to give me a kiss and tell me she wasn't leaving, I've hurt her too many times for that. A pain shot through my body, I gasped in pain and clapped a hand over my mouth so I wouldn't scream and wake Michael and Eve. Too late Michael's eyes shot open, oh yeh I forgot he was a vampire. I gave him an apologetic smile but he glared back at me. Someone hasn't had there blood bag this morning. He then threw a box of tissues at me; he raised his hand up high so he didn't disturb Eve. It hit me straight in the head and it actually hurt too.

"Ouch what was that for?"

"For being a dick, how could you try and kill yourself man? You're my best friend and you were just going to leave me"

"Aww someone's got a feminine side, are you turning gay on me Mike? Because you know I wouldn't be able to live with you right, in case you started getting weird gay feelings for me" I laughed

"Shut up man I'm being serious, you're my best mate and I can't lose you"

I dropped my head in shame.

"I'm sorry it's just I really love Claire and I know I've been a dick to her and I broke her heart but I really didn't mean to and I can't live without her man, she's the only proper family I have left, well not anymore seeing as she's divorcing me. I wish I could take it back, I wish I could have her back with me; I miss her and it's only been what 8 hours?"

"She could come round" he tried

"Mate I'm the stupid one and even I know that isn't gunna happen, she hates me and she left Morganville because she couldn't stand to be with me"

"She doesn't hate you Shane she's just pissed right now, she loves you too"

"I don't think she does or why would she leave?"

"You cheated on her and have been for 3 months now! She's bound to want space away from you and she told Eve and I that she still did love you, it was just it hurt too much"

I didn't reply

"Look Eve phoned her after we found you" I head shot up

"She came straight back, she missed her flight because she wanted to know you were ok, even after everything you've done to her she still loves and cares for you. She told us to give you this"

He reached into his jean pocket still trying not to wake Eve and by the looks of things was succeeding. He handed over the crumpled piece of paper. I gulped and then opened it. It said:

_**Dearest Shane,**_

_**I'll always love you, no matter how many times you've hurt me that will never change. I don't want to leave you but I know that it's something I have to do, I can't let you hurt me anymore; it hurts me too much. You'll always be in my heart and I want you to know that I'll never forget you. Don't hurt yourself Shane because it hurts me to see you like this. When Eve phoned me and told me you tried to kill yourself, I felt something I'd never felt before; something I never want to feel again. I hope you understand why I'm leaving, I trusted you…twice and you broke my heart; I can't give you a third chance because I'm afraid that next time I won't be able to deal with it…and I need to deal with it. I've taken most of our memories, so you'll find it easier to forget me. Goodbye my love.**_

_**Love always and forever,**_

_**Claire x**_

Tears where rolling down my pale cheeks, I wiped them away with the back of my hand and looked over at Michael who was looking at me, pity in his eyes.

"Shane…"

"Don't, it's my fault; I deserve everything I get. Just do me one thing ok?"

I saw him nod so I continued

"Don't tell Eve I was crying because she'd never let me hear the end of it"

He laughed

"Deal" he said and he leaned over to knuckle bump me however, this time he wasn't so lucky and Eve woke up. My god does she look like shit in the morning and she's so moody too.

"You bastard!" she yelled at me and got to her feet "You tried to kill yourself and didn't let me apologise first. You made me feel bad because I gave you crap and then you try to kill yourself!" she cried and then hit me

"Ouch and I'm sorry"

"You daft pig" she cried again and then almost jumped on me, pulling me into a hug

"I hate you but I love you and I'm so happy you're ok" she hit me again

"Ouch!"

"Don't do it again or I'll bring you back to life just so I can kill you myself"

"Fine ok, I won't do it again"

"Promise?"

"Promise Goth princess now get off me because you're really hurting my stomach"

She released me from her iron grip, for a girl she was actually pretty strong; but then again she had to be, living with and abusive, alcoholic father and a murderer brother. This got me thinking about Claire and how she felt so good to hold, so warm; she smelt so nice and…

"Hey pea brain, hello earth to Shane" Eve said and snapped her fingers

"Oh sorry what did you say?"

"I was saying…oh never mind what were you thinking about that was so important, you stopped listening to me?" she asked

"Oh…Claire" I whispered and turned away from them because I felt the tears burning my eyes

"Hey Shane it's ok, you're wife and…just left you, it's ok to cry"

"Yeh I suppose, I just had a dream that Claire kissed me"

Michael and Eve looked at each other and then Eve said

"She did kiss you, when she came back to see if you were ok, she kissed you before she left. It was actually pretty funny because your machine started beeping really loudly and also very fast"

I felt myself blush.

"She did?"

"Yeh, Shane she still loves you, you just hurt her really bad; it's going to take some time" Eve said

"I know" I whispered


	11. Chapter 11

Claire's Pov:

I cried myself to sleep on the plane, I couldn't stop thinking about Shane and how he tried to kill himself, was I doing the right thing in leaving him? Or was I just making things worse? _**Claire you might not be doing the right thing by Shane but your doing the right thing for yourself and your baby that's what really matters, your baby needs to be safe; it doesn't need a father who cheats on them all the time, it needs to be loved and kept away from the evil things in life.**_ This is what I kept telling myself, some part of me believed this but another part way down deep inside of me was saying _**go back to Shane, the baby needs a father, you need a husband; you both need to be kept safe. **_God why was life so hard, why was love so hard and painful. The plane landed in Hollywood at around 5am, I'd been asleep for most of the flight but for the last 2-3 hours I was just thinking. I was shattered by the time I got into the limo that was waiting for me as I got off; I just wanted to sleep; to curl up in bed…with Shane. _**Claire stop thinking about Shane, It's not good for you! **_

The drive to my cousin's house was an hour from the airport, I kept dozing off but it was only for a few minutes or so, the car kept driving over speed bumps and waking me up.

I had already told Becky about Shane and how he'd cheated on me, I'd also told her that I was pregnant; she said it was fine and that she'd be there for me. I wasn't sure if I was intruding though, she had 4 other roommates to think about and in 8 months I'd have a baby; would they want us there then? When it's screaming its head off and I'm too pissed off and tired to do anything? I mean I know all of them and they've known me since I was a baby so everything would be ok right? These thoughts were running through my head as the limo pulled up outside a big 6 bedroom house. I sat there for a minute before I opened the door. As I was unloading my bags from the boot the front door opened and I saw a tall, skinny woman running towards me; Becky. God she had changed since the last time I'd seen her.

"Claire!" she cried and swung her arms around me, making me drop the bags I was holding

"Hey Becky, how have you been?"

"Great and you? Oh shit I'm sorry, I forgot; hey you shouldn't be carrying those in your condition you could do some damage; let me wake the guys"

"No Becky you don't have to it's fine really…"

"No Claire I'm getting them to help you, don't worry they need to be up early anyway; they're going surfing"

"But I can do it, I'm pregnant not disabled"

"Yeh and fall could cause damage the baby, you're mean to be the smart one here Claire not me" she smiled

"Fine"

She carried some of the smaller bags with her and then opened the front door.

"Jack, Aidan, Ryan! Wake your lazy asses up and help bring in Claire's bags"

A few seconds later I saw 3 gorgeous guys approaching me, all of them had serious bed hair but just like Shane they all looked absolutely sexy. I smiled as Ryan came running towards me.

"Hey shortie, you haven't grown a bit have you?" he said and laughed as he pulled me into a big hug

"Shut up drag queen"

"Hey that was one time and it was a dare, plus everyone agreed to let that drop"

"Well I guess I'm not everyone, besides you called me shortie and you know how much I hate that"

"Fine you won't call me drag queen and I won't call you shortie"

"Deal" I replied and hugged him again

When we were younger I'd caught Ryan in his mum's dress, I took a picture and showed it to the others who then put it on facebook. He kept telling us that it was for a dare but a part of me didn't believe him, I knew he wasn't gay because god he'd had so many girl friends that I'd need about 30 pairs of hands just to count them, he reminded me a lot of Shane; this was going to be hard. The next to hug me was Jack who didn't just hug me but lifted me off the ground and spun me around.

"God it's so good to see you, it's been what 6 years?"

"It sure has, I've missed you guys"

"I've missed you too, there's been no one to protect or people to beat up if they hurt you" he smiled

"I'm not a kid Jack, I'm 19"

"Yeh I know but your still going to be a kid to me" he replied, messed up my hair and then turned to pick up the bags.

Aidan smiled and hugged me.

"God it's been so boring without you Claire Bear"

"Yeh it's been so boring without you too"

Then I heard a laugh and turned to see Becky.

"That's not what your mum told me"

Oh god, what had mum been saying, she could get herself into trouble. My heart was beating really fast as I waited for Becky to continue.

"Um…what did my mum say?"

"Only that you were like really important in the town and people were scared of you. She also said that you'd got all hot and heavy with a slacker boy called Shane who was gorgeous but liked a good fight, how you lived off campus with older guys and got drunk and wore short dresses. That you got married early but would probably regret it, which is kind of right as the dick cheated on you and got you pregnant"

I felt my cheeks burning and they turned bright red in embarrassment.

"My mum doesn't know anything about it, people weren't scared of me they were scared of the people that looked after me; like the mayor and I lived off campus because some bitch pushed me down a flight of stairs and left me for dead and then poured acid all down my back and kidnapped me, she threatened to kill me all the time. I lived with 2 guys and a girl who were all 18 and I only got drunk once and that was when I was 18, as for the short dresses my mum thinks if a dress is above the knee then you're a slag"

They all just looked at me, mouths wide open.

"Oh my god Claire!"

"Hey don't worry about it; I'm still alive aren't I?"

"Yeh but…"

"Let's just get my bags inside because I'm shattered"

They all nodded and finished unloading the car.


	12. Chapter 12

Eve's Pov:

Shane was released from hospital today and Claire had been gone for 3 days now! God I missed her so much. She was meant to phone me when she got to Hollywood and she hasn't, god I hope nothings wrong with her and that she's not lying in a ditch dead somewhere. We were all sitting on the sofa watching TV, Shane was watching what he wanted because he was injured, that was his excuse for everything these days and because he couldn't really fight back we had to let him have what he wanted. I had my mobile strapped to me at all times just in case CB phoned, I was constantly looking at the screen to see if I had any messages or missed calls, I wouldn't even have sex in case Claire phoned and god did that piss Michael off. I even phoned her, it wasn't just once ore twice but like 36 times.

"Eve put the phone down, she'll phone when she's ready"

"But Michael I've phoned her like 36 times and I'm not even exaggerating here, she's not answering me; oh god what if she doesn't remember who we are!"

"Eve honey calm down, Amelie said she wouldn't wipe her memories and she's not hurt or injured because Amelie has her people watching over her"

"She does?" I asked

"Of course she does, I don't understand it but Amelie has some sort of bond with Claire; she sees her as a daughter almost, she's not going to let her go running off into the world on her own especially not after everything Claire has done for this town, she has too many people that want her dead"

"I suppose, it's just I really miss her Michael"

"I know you do, we all do" he said and looked over at Shane who was clearly listening to us but trying to make out that he wasn't but I could see the tears in his eyes, he always gets them when we talk about Claire

"But I miss you too Eve" he looked deep into my eyes, I felt a tingle go through my whole body; he pulled me into a passionate kiss, electricity flowing all throughout me. Then Shane cleared his throat and pulled us back into reality.

"What Shane?" I asked angrily, I still hadn't forgiven him for what he'd done to Claire but I have to be nicer to him because he tried to kill himself and he's very fragile at the moment.

"Just wondering what was for lunch"

"I don't know Shane whatever you want to make yourself, I'm not your wife…" _**shit!**_ I totally forgot for a second about Claire, pain flashed across his face, his eyes started to water and he turned away from me to wipe his eyes

"Shit Shane, I totally forgot I'm sorry; hey look at me please I said I was sorry" he didn't turn to face me

"I'll make you lunch, whatever you want" I knew this would work because Shane can't resist food, his face lit up like a child on Christmas morning; that made me laugh and Michael too

"Fine I forgive you, so I'll have some tomato soup please and toast" his eyes watered again

"It's Claire's favourite" we both said together and he gave me a sad smile. I wiped a tear from my eye and looked at Michael.

"So what would you like boy friend"

He smiled and said "I'll have tomato soup too please"

"Right 3 tomato soups coming right up" I said and got up, kissing Michael before I went into the kitchen.

I opened 3 tins and poured them into a saucepan, I kept seeing Claire making it for herself. _**God everything around here reminds me of Claire! Even the bloody food, why was I even thinking this? It's not as if she's dead…I hope.**_ I was lazily stirring the soup whilst watching the toast when my phone rang, at that moment I wasn't even thinking it could be Claire; I picked it up not looking at the caller ID and held it to my ear, still stirring the soup.

"Hello?" I asked

"Hey Eve its Claire"

_**Oh my god CB was phoning me! **_I let out a loud shriek and then Michael quickly appeared at the kitchen door with Shane slowly coming up behind him.

"Babe what's wrong?" he asked worriedly, I felt kind of bad making them think I was in trouble; especially in Morganville.

"Oh sorry it's nothing…Claire just phoned and I got a little bit over excited"

"Oh right ok" he smiled "Let me talk to her after"

I nodded "Can you keep an eye on the lunch please?" I asked him

"Yeh you just talk to Claire"

I sat down on one of the kitchen stools, Shane sat in the one next to me; his puppy dog eyes begging me to let him talk, I just turned from him.

"Hey CB how are you? Why haven't you answered my calls? I've been so worried, you got there safely right? You're ok?"

"Eve one question at a time please" she laughed

"Oh right yeh sorry. How are you?"

"I'm good, tired, upset, and angry. I've just been sick; you gotta love morning sickness right?" she croaked

"Oh god, CB are you still being sick?" I felt both their eyes looking at me

"No not anymore thank god, it's horrible" she sounded so frail

"Why haven't you answered my calls?"

"Oh I'm sorry my phone ran out of battery and I haven't finished unpacking yet"

"Oh ok then, I just thought that maybe you were lying dead in some ditch"

"Thanks Eve, thanks for having confidence in me; I can look after myself you know"

"I know CB but you're my baby and I miss you"

"I miss you to but I have my baby to think about"

"I know I just wish it didn't have to be like this"

"Yeh me too…hey Ryan get your pants off me now!" I heard her yell

"Err… Claire why have you got his pants on you?"

She laughed

"Because he's just been to football practise and he threw his muddy tracksuit pants on me"

"Oh right, I just thought there was some funny business going on"

"Not yet there's not but I definitely wouldn't say no" and she laughed again

"I like your style, so are they fit?"

"God they're beyond fit!"

"Oh my god really? You'll have to send me some pictures"

"Oh I will, hey when I get my webcam up and running I'll even get them to say hi"

"Oh my god you so have to do that" I cried

"Hey Eve…how's Shane doing?" she chocked out like she was being strangled

"He's better, he was released today but he's using his injury as an excuse not to do anything. You know what he's like"

"Yeh I do"

"So…what you up to today?" I asked

"Um… I don't know…Ryan put me down, now I mean it Ryan; hey stop tickling me. Help! Jack please make him stop"

I heard her scream and then another guy say 'I'm not getting involved'

"Ryan please I surrender ok?"

'Yes' I heard him yell 'We're going out for lunch so go get ready'

"Ryan I'm not in the mood and hey I'm on the phone to my best friend" I felt happy when she said that

'Wow I'm deeply offended and here I thought I was you best friend' and then I heard fake crying

"Hey you're one of my best friends but Eve's more like my sister"

'Fine, be that way' I heard him cry

"Ok I'll come just let me say goodbye ok?"

'Yes!' he shouted '5 minutes'

"Hey Eve I'm sorry but I have to go, you heard all of that right?"

"Yeh its ok just phone me later because Michael really wants to talk to you"

"Yeh ok, tell him I said hey and that I was sorry I couldn't speak to him"

"Yeh ok"

'4 minutes Claire'

"Shut up Ryan, don't be such a douche"

'Fine, I won't let you wear my jacket or have ice cream'

"Ok I'm coming, look I gotta go Eve, love you bye" and she hung up before I could say bye.

"Yeh bye…"

They were all looking at me.

"What?" I asked

"You seem sad" Michael said

"I've been best friend dumped, she dumped me for Ryan; there having lunch and she's wearing his jacket and eating ice cream" I said and folded my arms, Shane was livid and Michael just came and hugged me.

"Eve she still loves you it's just she's living with these guys now and she needs to do stuff with them"

"I know but most of the time I was on the phone she was arguing with Ryan and they had a tickle fight Michael!"

He laughed at me

"It's not funny!"

"I know ok but Claire's known these people since she was a baby and she's safe right? Isn't that all that matters? And if I remember correctly she felt the same way when Kim came to town"

"Yeh but…"

"Eve she still loves you ok?"

"I guess"

He kissed me and them we sat down for lunch, Shane left as soon as the portions were dished out; he was obviously pissed that Claire was going out for a meal with another guy. I don't blame him but he definitely deserves it.


	13. Chapter 13

Shane's Pov:

Oh my god, she's already moved on; she's dating a 22 year old! I swear to god if I ever meet this Ryan person I will bloody kill him. He has no right stealing my wife; she's mine and nobody else's. How could she do this to me? _**She can do what she wants Shane, you broke up and she wants a divorce! Also you had an affair for 3 months! She's just going out to lunch with the guy.**_ God why is there always someone in my head telling me a different thing, its so confusing!

I didn't want to eat dinner with Michael and Eve, it was too embarrassing; Eve had just been on the phone with my ex and said how much fun she was having with another guy, I can't let them see me like this, I never used to be this way; never so sensitive. Ever since I met Claire I changed, became a better person for her and it was all for nothing. I'm crying all the time now, I only ever cried when Alyssa and my mum died and now I can't stop crying even when I just hear the name Claire! I even tried to kill myself. The old me would've shrugged and found a new girl friend but its different now, Claire wasn't just my girl friend; she was my wife the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and now I can't. I hate not being able to see her, to touch her, to hear her voice. It's killing me, I don't want to be away from her and I know it was my fault because I had the affair but I hate knowing she's with other guys. She's living with 3 of them for fuck sake! I knew that when she was here she wouldn't cheat on me because hey Michael's my best mate and we were married but now she's with 3 blokes all older than her, even older than us; and it makes me so angry. She was sick as well and I wasn't there to help her, to hold back her hair like I used to. God I miss her so much. I don't want to live like this, to spend every minute thinking and craving her; I don't want to get jealous every time I hear her name in the same sentence as a guys. It hurts too much for that.

Once I'd finished my lunch and washed the dishes I ran upstairs and got dressed, I was going to find myself a new girl friend by the end of the day; I was going to stop moping around and have some fun because if I didn't I was seriously going to die.


	14. Chapter 14

Claire's Pov:

Lunch with Ryan was actually really fun although I couldn't eat my favourite food because the smell made me sick; Ryan rather enjoyed this because it meant that he could laugh at me and order my favourite just to make me jealous. I though did get to eat weird food that made Ryan sick because they so shouldn't be eaten together, but hey I can't help what I crave. I also got extra ice cream as I had the excuse 'I'm eating for two now so get over it'. After we ate lunch we went shopping which was hilarious as we tried on all these different outfits that were totally disgusting and took photos that were to be uploaded on facebook. I lost count of how many photos we'd taken but I did make one of them my background. It was the one of us in nice clothes, me in a beautiful red dress and him in a black tuxedo; it was like it was our prom picture. We were facing each other and he had his arms around me, his lips pressed against my cheek and my face had a huge smile painted across it. When I stepped out of the changing room in this dark blue dress his face dropped which reminded of Shane, I clutched my chest as a pain shot through my heart. Thankfully he didn't notice.

"Oh my god Claire you look…stunning" he said and smiled making the pain in my heart disappear.

"Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself" I replied

"Are you going to buy it?" he asked

"I don't know, I don't think I can afford it" I said

"Fine I'll get them then"

"Ryan I can't ask you to buy it for me"

"You're not asking I'm telling and I'm buying more than one"

"What?"

"Oh I'm buying every dress you looked hot it" he smirked

"What so that's every dress in the shop then?"

"Oh definitely" he replied

He ended up buying 4 dresses the dark blue one, the red one, the hot pink one and the purple one. God he even bought shoes and bags to go with it, he must've spent over $300 on me because the dresses weren't cheap and neither were the accessories; plus the meal that he wouldn't let me pay for even though I had most of it and then we were going to the movies later too! He put his arm around me as we walked out of the shop, he carried all the bags saying I couldn't because of my condition and then we walked over to the cinema. It was dark outside and I kept looking behind me until I realised that I wasn't in Morganville anymore so it was safe to go out at night. We went to see a horror movie because the only other film that was on at this time was a romance and I so wasn't in the mood for that however, that meant that I had to keep grabbing Ryan's arm and kept burying my face into his chest whenever something scary happened, he laughed at first and then put his arms around me; he even took off his jacket so I could use it to cover my eyes. God it smelt so good, he was so warm and it felt so nice to be with him and… _**oh my god was I falling for Ryan? No I couldn't be could I? I mean I've known him ever since we were kids; he used to look out for me when I was I school and… oh god I was falling for him! **_I felt my face blush and thank god there was another scary bit in the film so that I could hide my face.

"You do realise that I'm going to have nightmares tonight right?"

"Oh don't worry shortie I'll protect you"

"Like a drag queen could protect someone" I shot back at him and laughed at his expression

"I thought we said you wouldn't call me that"

"Oh really and I thought you wouldn't call me shortie again but oh yeh I think you did"

"Fine not anymore sho…Claire"

"Oh my god you were going to call me it again weren't you"

"What no…ok I was but I've been calling you that since you were like 5 so it's harder for me"

"You still broke your promise"

"Ok how can I make it up to you? And it can't be anything that includes dressing up"

"Hmm… I don't know surprise me" I replied and faced the front again only to have him yank me gently back to face him, he pulled my face to his and his lips touched mine; god it was like fireworks were being set off inside of me and… no why was he pulling away so soon? I opened my eyes and he was smiling down at me.

"Am I forgiven?" he asked

"Yeh I think so now let's get home people I'm cold" I said and he slipped his jacket off and gave it to me.

We walked together, his arm around my shoulder back to the house; I think it was about 11.30pm when we got home and everyone was in bed. We crept in the house, I couldn't help laughing but his hand clapped over my mouth to stop me; I licked it and he pulled it away.

"Hey no licking my hand and we have to be quiet or we'll wake them"

"I feel like a teenager that has just snuck out in the middle of the night to meet her boy friend who she is band from seeing" I whispered

"Yeh me too now shhh"

We made it into the house without waking anyone up which was great, I had to stop myself from dragging Ryan up to my bedroom which was so unbelievably hard.

"Look thanks for today I had a really great time"

"Yeh me too" he replied and kissed me again

"Now off to bed, you and the baby need to get some rest"

"Yeh whatever but first I need to phone Eve, night" I said and turned to go up the stairs

"Eve? Oh yeh your best friend from Morganville right?"

"Right, anyway night and thanks again"

"No problem" he smiled

I ran up the stairs very quietly and into my room, jumping on the bed and pulling out my phone.


	15. Chapter 15

Shane's Pov:

We were sitting in the living room watching a film, Michael and Eve were snuggled together in his arm chair and I was sprawled out on the sofa, alone with no Claire. _**God stop thinking about her, I thought we agreed that we'd find someone else! **_I concentrated back on the film but was interrupted my Eve's mobile ringing.

"Hello?" she asked before yawning

Eve's Pov:

"Hello?" I asked before I yawned

"Hey Eve its Claire"

"Oh my god CB what are you doing phoning me so late and why are you whispering?"

"I only just back from my day out with Ryan and I'm whispering because everyone's in bed"

"Oh my god you only just got back! What were you guys doing?" I asked curiously

"Well we went out for lunch and then we went shopping, god it was so fun; we tried on all these clothes and took loads of photos. I'm going to upload them all onto facebook tomorrow. After that we went to the cinema and we watched a horror movie and yes I said horror movie! I hid my face in his chest and he put his arms around me and it felt so nice and then when we left the cinema and were walking home he kissed me! And then he kissed me again when we got home!" she cried obviously very happy

"Oh my god he kissed you! I'm so happy for you CB what was it like?"

"It felt like fireworks had been set off inside by body making me feel all warm and fuzzy"

"So it was like really good then, the kiss I mean?"

"Yeh it was prefect and I think I'm really falling for him Eve"

"Oh my god you do! You have to send me a photo of him like now"

"Right ok I'll send the photo to Michael for you to see and then we can still talk"

"Ok just hurry because I really want to see the guy who's making you feel all happy and fuzzy" I replied and laughed

"Right ok I sent it"

I turned to Michael who was already looking at me and so was Shane although his expression was completely different, filled with anger and pain.

"Michael I need your phone, Claire's sent me a photo of Ryan"

I grabbed it out of his hand quickly and then a second later the message came through, I scrolled down and opened it as fast as I could; getting really impatient as I waited for it to load. Oh my god he was fit! With a capital F and they looked so cute together.

"Aww Claire that photo is adorable and he is so sexy in unreal, I would so date him" I replied "Of course that is if I wasn't already dating the man of my dreams, the sexy angel Michael" I said and kissed him

"He's in the room isn't he?"

"Yeh…and so is Shane"

"Eve are you being serious, you just repeated everything I said to you in front of him!"

"Yeh I know I'm sorry but I forgot"

"Eve you've just made things harder"

"I'm so sorry CB it was an accident I swear, look I'll even go in another room ok?"

"Fine"

"Ok so tell me who's better him or Shane?" I asked curiously, she probably wasn't going to answer that question

"Um…I think Shane but that's only because I was with him for longer and I don't know it felt so different with Shane, so serious but with Ryan it's just so fun"

"So who's better?"

"Shane, however, I need to move on and Ryan's the perfect guy to help me do that"

"Oh my god, CB I wish you were here; it's not the same talking about boys over the phone"

"I know, I miss you too"

"So who's a better kisser?"

"Eve you know it's the same answer as before. He just made me feel invincible, so alive and when I kissed him I got a tingly feeling all the way down to my toes; I felt safe in his arms and my heart beat fastened whenever I saw him, he tasted so nice and he was so warm and…I hate you for making me remember it all" she finished

I actually had tears in my eyes.

"Oh CB I'm sorry" I whispered, choking back the tears

"That's ok; I'm always going to have Shane in my heart and no matter how hard I try to forget him he'll always be there…you just can't tell him"

"I won't, I promise"

"Good, well anyway Eve; the baby and I need our beauty sleep and I'll let you get back to snuggling up with Michael. I'll talk to you soon ok?"

"1) you don't need any beauty sleep because you're gorgeous 2) you've definitely got to keep me updated with the whole Ryan situation and I want the photos on facebook first thing and 3) phone me as soon as possible" I said and heard her laughing in the background

"It's a deal, oh and Eve I'm sorry if I had to go so quickly last time and I don't want you to feel like I don't love you anymore ok?"

"Ok and have you been talking to Michael?"

"No why? Oh god I did make you feel like that! I'm so sorry I didn't mean to"

"I know and its ok I forgive you"

"Good, oh can you quickly put Michael on the phone because I didn't get to speak to him last time"

"Yeh sure hold on…..Michael! Claire wants to speak to you now!" I heard her yell

I heard the phone change over to Michael

**Michael' Pov:**

"Hey Claire how are you?" I asked

"I'm good thanks Michael, you?"

"I'm good, just missing you so much kiddo; you're like a sister to me and now you're gone"

"I miss you too and I'll come visit…eventually" I laughed and so did she

"Hey Michael, can you do me a favour?"

"Um…depends what it is?" I asked worriedly

"Look after Shane for me please" she choked out and I know that when she does this she's about to cry

"Of course…"

"Don't let him do anything stupid, not because of me; I'm not worth it. Please look after him and don't let him feel too bad, I can't have him hurting. Please Michael I need you to do this" she was crying now, I could hear her voice

"Hey stop that, Claire you were too good for him ok? And he was the one who hurt you, I know he's my best friend and I love him but he was a dick to you so you shouldn't feel guilty about leaving him; you did what was best and I'm 100% behind your decision. I promise that I will look after him and I won't let him do anything more stupid than what he usually does ok?"

"Thank you Michael, I love you, you know that?"

"I love you too kid, anyway I'll leave you to get some sleep and Eve's right you don't need any beauty sleep because you're already gorgeous, night, night Claire speak to you soon"

"Yeh night Michael, bye"

"Bye" I replied and switched it off.

Eve was watching me with a huge smile on her face.

"You're the best guy I know" she said and kissed me

Oh god her kisses are so good that I actually feel like she restarts my heart.

"And you're the best girl I know" I replied pulling her into my chest

"She's blaming herself isn't she?" she sighed

"Yep, you know what Claire's like" I said

We went back into the living room, Shane was watching TV; his eyes were red so he'd obviously been crying. He had my phone in his hand and he was looking at the photo Claire had sent of her and Ryan.

"Mate, don't do this to yourself" I whispered

"No you're right it's my fault, I was a dick to her and I deserve everything I get"

"Shane…"

"I'm glad she's happy, she's happy right?" he said and looked up at me and Eve.

"Yeh she's happy mate"

"Good, that's all I want for her" he closed his eyes and then got to his feet and pounded up the stairs.


	16. Chapter 16

Claire's Pov:

I woke up to the sound of Becky and Lucy arguing over what to watch on TV. I groaned and rolled out of bed, chucked on my silk dressing gown as I was only wearing one of Michael's old T-shirts and lazily walked down the stairs like one of the walking dead. I went into the kitchen and pulled a cup from the cupboard, filling it to the brim with coffee. I dropped down on the sofa next to the two girls who were still arguing and raised a hand to my sore head. _**God I feel so hung-over! **_

"Guys can you please keep it down, I have…" I started but never got to finish as I was running to the toilet to be sick. _**I hate morning sickness. **_After about 3 rounds of being sick I finally flushed the chain and brushed my teeth, at some point during my time leaning over the toilet Ryan had come in and pulled my hair out of my face.

"Thanks" I whispered

"No problem" he replied flashing one of this brilliant smiles

"Why is being pregnant so hard and disgusting?" I asked

"I have no idea how to answer that and anyway aren't you the genius?" he laughed

"Yeh whatever, shouldn't you be at football training?" I asked while wiping my mouth

"Yeh I'm going in about 10 minutes"

"Good, I'd hate you to miss practise because you were too busy holding my hair while I puked"

"Aww but you're such a good excuse to miss practise" he smiled and kissed me on the lips, just after I'd cleaned my teeth thank god or that would've been disgusting. _**Kissing him is like being in heaven, have I died? Because this is simply amazing and I never want it to end! **_He pulled away and laughed at my expression, with my eyes still closed and my lips still in a kissing position, he kissed my forehead to my dismay and turned; heading out the door to pick up his training bag. I stayed were I was until I heard the front door closing, as I was about to leave round 4 hit me and I was back to leaning over the toilet. _**Thanks Shane for doing this to me, you have an affair leaving me, a 19 year old wanting a divorce and also 5 weeks pregnant! Why did I ever have to fall in love with you? **_After finally finishing up for the day, hopefully; I went back upstairs and crawled into my big, warm bed, pulling the covers right up to my eyes. It didn't take me much to drift off; being pregnant makes you very tired unfortunately so I was quite glad that I could easily fall asleep. However, I wish I hadn't because the dream I had was horrible, I was walking into the glass house; the door had been left open and the windows were all smashed. There was blood all over the walls and as I stepped into the living room I found Eve face down on the floor in a puddle of her blood, Michael was near by with a stake through his heart, his skin a blue colour; he was dead, they were both dead. My heart was pumping really fast as I searched the house for Shane. I was running up the stairs, opening all the doors and quickly peaking inside to see if he was there; I finally made my way to our room and slowly turned the doorknob, the door creaked open on its rusty hinges and there he was; the bed sheets were blood stained, he was dead and I felt a pain shoot through my body; I screamed.

I woke up screaming, my bed sheets twisted from all my kicking; there were 4 people by my side, Ryan was the closest and he had his hand on my arm. I had tears streaming down my red cheeks, I was covered in sweat and I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. I looked out the window, it was dark outside so I must've been asleep for ages.

"Claire what's wrong? What happened?" Becky asked

"It was just a bad dream, I'm sorry if I scared you"

"God we all heard you scream while we watched TV, I thought you were being murdered in here"

"I'm sorry, stuff happened to me when I was in Morganville and I had nightmares about it every night; it stopped for a while but I guess they're coming back" I sighed

"Well don't worry about it, you get cleaned up and I'll make you dinner; you've been asleep all day and haven't eaten anything. I tried to wake you up earlier but you were in some deep sleep alright, I was shaking you and everything but you were still fast asleep" she shook her head and exited the room with Jack, Aidan and Lucy. Ryan stayed next to me on the bed; he didn't speak until the door was closed. He sat behind be and pulled me close to his chest, he smelt so good. I was still crying.

"Shhh it's ok, you're safe; I won't let anything hurt you I promise" he whispered whilst rocking me backwards and forwards like a baby and I have to say it was very soothing, I understand why baby's like it so much. I felt him kiss my hair and I relaxed against him, releasing all my tensed muscles.

"Come on lets get you two fed ok? And then we can watch a movie if you want? I'll even let you choose the film" he said and wiggled his eyebrows making me laugh

"Yeh there's the smile I've been looking for, now dinner?"

"Yeh I'm coming, I'm so hungry I could eat a horse"

He laughed

"No I'm being serious, me and this baby live for food now" I replied and smiled

We walked down the stairs, Becky was at the stove stirring something that smelled like chicken soup, my favourite; uh oh, I'm going to be sick. I darted back up the stairs and barely made it in time, Ryan and Becky came up behind me.

"But I thought chicken soup was your favourite?"

"It is…was well I don't know I think it's got something to do with being pregnant, you start craving certain foods and then…." I was sick again, Ryan was still holding my hair "Sometimes the food you liked before makes you sick" I finished

"Yeh but you didn't even eat any of it"

"The smell can make you sick as well, your senses are a lot sharper when you're pregnant so you smell things a lot differently…." Sick again "Sorry you went to so much trouble" I whispered and flushed the chain

"Oh don't worry about it, I'm sure Ryan will eat it and besides I'm only worried about you and the baby so whatever you want to eat I will make it for you"

We returned back downstairs and she rummaged through the cupboards to find a tin of tomato soup, thank god the smell of that didn't make me sick again because my stomach was so empty it was beginning to get painful. I had finished my first bowl in about 20 seconds flat and I'm being serious. Ryan and Jack hadn't even eaten about 3 mouthfuls by the time I'd finished and when they saw I was finished they looked utterly shocked.

"What?"

"You've already finished!" they replied

"Yeh and I'm pregnant and I haven't eaten since yesterday so I'm entitled to eat more and quickly, have you got a problem with that?" I asked

They both held there hands up in surrender

"No you go ahead, eat your heart out"

"I will" I finally said before returning to the kitchen for seconds

As soon as I had finished every last bit of soup in the saucepan and had continued eating until I wasn't hungry anymore, I made my way back up to my bedroom and pulled out my mobile. I had to make sure they were ok, it might sound stupid but I have a really bad feeling about this; and it's not like it's the weirdest thing in the world because I mean hello! Vampires exist and hey Miranda has some crazy physic powers! My hands were shaking as I dialled in Eve's mobile number, no answer _**shit!**_ I could feel myself getting more and more worried, I'd just had a dream that my best friends had just been murdered and then when I ring them they don't answer! I scrolled down my contacts until Michael's name was highlighted. I pressed the green phone and once again held it close to my ear, I let it ring until it got to the answer machine before I finally cancelled it and phoned the house phone; they better answer or I swear to god I'm going to phone Amelie to get a plane to come pick me up and take me back there. _Ring, ring, ring, ring….__**come on please answer! **_Tears were rolling down my cheeks now and I started breathing heavily, my whole body was shaking _**oh god please just someone answer the bloody phone!**_

"Hello?" I heard someone ask

"Who's this…" I choked out

"Um…Shane who's this?" he replied in a sleepy voice

"You fucking bastard! Why didn't you answer the bloody phone quicker?" I yelled

"Claire?" he whispered

"God I thought you were all dead! God I hate you so much, why didn't you answer the phone quicker?" I repeated

"What do you mean you thought we were all dead?" he asked clearly confused

"Where are Michael and Eve? Are they ok?" I asked ignoring his question

"Yeh they're fine, Claire can you answer my question"

"Just put Eve on now please"

"Claire…"

"Now!" I yelled again

I heard him yell to Eve 'Eve! Claire's on the phone and she wants to talk to you' he said 'Tell her I'm busy with Michael' I heard her reply 'No just get down here now! She sounds like she's been crying!' he shouted back 'What!' was the last thing I heard before the loud footsteps came running down the stairs and over to the phone.

"Claire, honey what's wrong? What happened?"

"Eve…are you ok? You and Michael and Shane, you're ok?"

"Yeh, why? Claire you're scaring me, what happened?"

"Thank god!"

"Claire just tell me what's wrong"

"Oh it's nothing, I just had a nightmare that you guys were dead and then I tried to phone you and you wouldn't answer so I was thinking the worst"

"Oh Claire I'm so sorry"

"It's fine, just don't do it again ok? I never want to feel like that again"

"I promise" she said

After about another half an hour of talking with Eve the phone call finally ended.


	17. Chapter 17

Shane's Pov:

It has been 2 weeks now since Claire had moved away. I felt like absolute shit, I've tried to move on but every girl I meet and go on a date with isn't well…Claire. I sit there while they ramble on and all I can think about is Claire, how she's doing? What she and Ryan are up to? If its serious? Is she happy? My heart aches when I think about her so unfortunately that's all the time. At the moment I'm sitting in common grounds with a girl named…Sarah? I think, she's nice looking but nothing compared to Claire, her hair has been very badly dyed and she's wearing so much make up that she looks like a walking orange! She hasn't stopped talking about herself since we arrived 'Oh I'm so pretty I can be a model and I think I'm the best looking girl in here' when actually she's nobody special and I think she's probably one of the worst ones in here, _**what was I thinking? I'm not ready to date; I'm still not over Claire…NO Shane you need to move on, this will be good for you! **_So I continued to pretend that I was actually interested in her, laughing at all her jokes, agreeing with her when she said how pretty she was and giving her quick kisses whenever I wanted her to shut up. After another hour of this torture I finally said that I needed to go because I had to work tomorrow morning early, however, she then offered to come with me.

"Look" I started "I think you're a really great person but I don't think this is going to work"

"Why? What did I do wrong? I'm sorry" she quickly replied, her eyes wide looking straight at me; making me feel so guilty

"It's not you, it's me; I've just come out of a relationship and I thought I was ready to date but…"

"You're not" she finished and I nodded

"I understand, it must've been hard; what happened?" she asked

"I cheated on her and now she's left Morganville, she's already seeing someone else and she told me that she wants a divorce" I blurt out regretting it immediately

"Oh my god! You're married?" her voice went really high

"Umm…yeh" I said and pulled the necklace out from under my t-shirt, revealing my wedding ring dangling from the silver chain.

"Oh…" she whispered

"I'm sorry I should've told you but…how do you tell someone you're trying to date, that you're already married?"

"I see your point, so…you cheated on her?"

"Yeh and I feel like shit about it, I don't even know why I did it because I love her so much that it hurts, it was just a bit of fun and if I could go back I would because I hate what I've done to her…but I can't it's too late" I finish and drop my head in shame

"Hey Shane, you don't have to be ashamed with me ok? I've done far worse things than that honestly and I don't judge you; I know how much you're hurting and I'm not angry that you lied to me either although I'm a bit upset because you are so fit" she said and smiled which only made me smile

"You've done worse?" she nodded "Like what?" I asked curiously

"Umm…I slept with my step father and I err… also slept with my best friend's boy friend as well as my sister's boyfriend"

"Ok you win, yours is a lot worse than mine" I laugh

"Exactly and 2 out of 3 are still talking to me so you never know she may come round, you've just got to give it time" she said and smiled at me

I suddenly realised that she wasn't actually that bad, I was just putting her down because of Claire. I know I don't want her to become my girlfriend because I'm not ready but I'm definitely certain that I'd like to hang out with her.

"So…" I started "This is probably going to sound weird but I'd like to hang out with you, not as in girlfriend and boyfriend but as friends…I really need someone who doesn't judge me like my 2 best friends at home do and I think you're the best person for the job so…you up for it?" I asked and grinned

"I'd love to" she smiled back at me

"Great so…what do you wanna do?"

"Umm…how about the cinema?"

"Perfect…as long as we don't watch a chick flick" I laughed

"What kind of girl do you think I am? I'm a gory kinda girl"

"Where have you been all my life" I smiled and we walked out of common grounds.


	18. Chapter 18

Claire's Pov:

Ryan and I were curled up on the sofa, wrapped up in each others arms; I hadn't felt this happy since my honeymoon, Shane and I had started to drift apart after that and now I know why. He was having an affair; it had been going on for 3 months before I found out and it still would've been if I hadn't have found him with her. A sharp pain when through my chest and my heart ached as I remembered him. Luckily Ryan didn't notice this because I wouldn't want him to know that I still loved him. I turned to look up at him, his face was concentrating on the TV we were watching, I reached up a cupped his face in my hands pulling him towards me and kissed him passionately, his lips warm and moist against mine; I could feel my heartbeat quicken. The kiss deepened and he pulled me on top of him, his hands on my waist and mine under his top. He quickly flipped me over so he was on top; he did it surprisingly gently so that it didn't hurt. He groaned into my mouth while I gasped into his, it felt so good to be here with him; he pulled on my top but then stopped and pulled away from me.

"What?" I asked him

"Upstairs?" he replied and smiled pulling me up from the sofa and towards the stairs, we ran up them eagerly and straight into his bedroom. He closed the door and locked it, yanking his top of as he finished and once again pulled me into him. My hands stroked his bare chest and I slowly pushed him onto the bed, ripping my top of and throwing it on the floor before taking my place on top of him. I kissed my way up his chest and heard him let out a sigh as he relaxed. My lips made their way back up to his and my tongue entered him mouth, fireworks exploded and my body tingled as his warm hands touched my bare skin. His hands made their way to my bra where he unclasped it with no trouble, something he and Shane had in common. _**God stop thinking about him! Especially when you're with Ryan! **_It slipped off and fell to the floor; I unbuckled his belt and pulled his trousers down, he did the same with mine and then we were both naked. We got under the covers and continued kissing each other. _**Can you have sex when you're pregnant?**_I thought to myself but the question soon left my mind when Ryan kissed me again. it was amazing lying next to him, my head over his heart; feeling it beating under me, seeing how it quicken as I kiss his chest. Just as I was about to drift off I heard the front door bang shut.

'Hello, Claire? Ryan? Are you home?' Becky shouted

"Shit!" Ryan and I said together

We both quickly scrambled out of bed and pulled our clothes back on, its times like these I wish I was a boy because I'd have less clothing to put on. I struggled with my bra as I was going to quickly in panic. Ryan had already finished and he made his way over to me and clipped the hooks on my bra while I pulled up my trousers.

"Thanks, now go downstairs and I'll be down soon; tell her I'm in the shower" I said to him

"Ok" he ran down the stairs and I heard him talking to Becky

'Oh…she's in the shower, she was just sick and I was helping her but she wanted to get cleaned up'

'Oh poor Claire, I should go up there'

'NO, just give her some time; I think she's only just got in'

'Ok then'

I started breathing again and I tiptoed as quickly as I could across the landing without making a noise, Ryan looked up at me and smiled, making shoo gestures at me. I opened the bathroom door and started the shower, stepping into the hot water. _**Oh my god I've just had sex with Ryan! I've so got to tell Eve. **_Instead of phoning her I was just going to go on webcam to her. I loaded up my laptop and opened up webcam. I waited patiently for her to come on but when I did see someone I wish I hadn't. Oh god Eve and Michael are about to have sex! And it's on webcam!"

"Eve, Michael! Please don't do that while I'm on webcam"

"Claire?" Eve asked and looked up from the bed, Michael was doing the same.

"Hey"

"Oh my god how long have you been on there?" she asked and blushed, Michael's ears were going red

"Not long I swear, I uh…just really needed to tell you something big but it can wait, I'm sorry"

"No CB wait! Its fine you can tell us"

"Umm…it's actually um…something I needed to tell you Eve"

She looked at me with a confused expression on her face until it finally clicked.

"Oh…right ok Michael leave please"

"But…"

"Now Michael we'll um…do this later"

"Thanks Claire very much"

"I'm sorry Michael, look I'll just go; I'm hungry anyway, being pregnant and all"

"No it's fine Claire you talk to Eve" and he left the room

I saw Eve wait until the door closed before she turned to the camera.

"So?" she smiled

"Um…is he gone?" I asked blushing

"Err yeh but you do realise he's a vampire and can probably hear this whole conversation right?"

"Yeh I know but I can deal with him being able to hear it not me actually saying it to his face"

"Oh so its embarrassing?"

"Well no I just don't really want to talk to Michael about it"

"Ok so tell me"

"Ok well Ryan and I were watching a film on TV and then we kissed again and then…it went further and we…went upstairs…"

"Oh my god you totally had SEX with him!" she screamed

"Eve shhh keep it down"

"So you did then?"

"Yeh and it was amazing but then Becky came back so we kinda had to quickly get changed"

"Why?"

"Because we don't even know what we are yet so why tell them"

"True…god CB I can't believe it, you're not my baby anymore; you're not coming to me and asking for my advice. You're growing up and telling me about the boys you kiss and sleep with" she pretended to cry and I laughed

"Hey I'm gunna me a mamma soon so I gotta do stuff for myself"

"Hey can you even have sex when you're pregnant?"

"Well we did, but I suppose that's because I'm not the size of a house yet, just the size of a slightly fat person"

"You're so not fat, you're still smaller than me and you're pregnant"

"You're so not and look at me I so am" I said and lifted my top to the camera

"So you've gained a bit of weight big deal, you're gunna have a beautiful baby soon and you've got a super sexy boyfriend or sex toy so life's good, plus you're not in Morganville anymore"

"No I'm just away from my best friends, I'm pregnant at 19 and want a divorce yeh I've got a great life, plus I have so many people that want me dead and no money for the future and am totally shitting myself about becoming a mum in 8 and a half months. My baby is going to grow up without a father and I'm going to have to tell him/her that its father is a complete waste of space that didn't love me enough to keep his pants on and had an affair before we even got married. My mum and dad are miles away and aren't too happy about me being pregnant and my dad's getting worse and my mum's probably gunna have a break down and I'm gunna need to find a place of my own because I don't want to ruin my roommates lives by having a screaming baby in my life. I don't think I'm even gunna make a good mum because I can't even look after myself and I'm so scared that something's gunna happen to the baby before it's born and I'm alone and I don't know what I'm gunna do and…" I was crying uncontrollably and I was breathing hard

"Hey Claire calm down, it's not good for the baby" Eve said and Michael must have heard because he just came running into the room

"I don't know what I'm gunna do, I don't know how I'm gunna look after it"

"You'll be fine"

"How? I only have about $600 in my bank account, I can't get a house for that, I can't get any baby stuff for that. A bloody pram costs $700-$800 let alone all the other stuff I need, I can't do this" I cried

"Hey, Claire shhh we'll help you ok? We'll send you money and I could speak to Amelie and…"

"I can't ask you to give me your money Michael, you need it for yourself"

"Claire I want to do it" Michael said

"God I hate Shane Collins, why did I ever have to fall totally in love with him and why didn't you guys stop me before I got myself pregnant and heartbroken" I continued to cry

"Seriously Claire would you've listened to us if we'd have told you to take things slowly"

I thought for a minute "Probably not"

"Exactly"

And just then the door burst open and Ryan came in.

"Claire we're going to karaoke night down town and you're coming, Becky's orders…Claire you're crying what happened?" he asked and knelt down beside me and kissed my lips

"Nothing just talking to Eve and Michael and I just miss them you know"

"Oh right…wait are they on the webcam?"

"Err…yeh"

"Oh"

"Hey Ryan" Michael said in his best big brother voice "I'm Michael and Claire's like a little sister to me so if you hurt her I will come down there and kick your ass ok?" he said and I could see Eve holding back a laugh

"And I'm Eve, Claire's like my baby sister and I think Michael's a bit off; we're more like a mum and dad to Claire so instead of just kicking your ass we'll kill you" Ryan stiffened beside me and nodded

"Oh and by the way you're totally hot" she smiled

"Um…thanks" he replied

"Ok so I'll speak to you two later and let you get back to what you were doing before I rudely interrupted and burdened you with my problems"

"Anytime CB and I meant what I said, you'll be fine; talk to you soon" Michael said and blew me a kiss

"Bye, give me some luck, I'm doing karaoke; yay!" I said and faked enthusiasm making them laugh

"Good luck" they said and I switched it off, gave Ryan a quick kiss and got ready for karaoke


	19. Chapter 19

Claire's Pov:

We arrived at the club half an hour later, the guys ordered the drinks; unfortunately I was only allowed an orange juice. The karaoke wasn't for another hour so we had ages to wait. Ryan forced me onto the dance floor and I have to say we dance better together than how Shane and I used too. _**Why do I always have to think about Shane!**_ He twirled me round and round until I got dizzy, my stomach hurt because I'd been laughing so much.

"Um…Ryan Thompson to the stage please" some guy behind the microphone said

"Wish me luck" he said to us

"Good luck" we all said back to him and he ran up the stage steps.

"So what song are you singing?" the guy asked and Jack shouted

"He'll be singing Barbie girl" I couldn't help but laugh and by the looks of things neither could everyone else.

"Um…ok" the microphone guy said "When you're ready" and the music started playing

"Hi Barbie!  
- Hi Ken!  
- You Wanna Go For A Ride?  
- Sure, Ken!  
- Jump In!  
- Ha Ha Ha!

I'm A Barbie Girl In The Barbie World  
Life In Plastic, It's Fantastic  
You Can Brush My Hair, Undress Me Everywhere  
Imagination, Life Is Your Creation

Come On, Barbie, Let's Go Party

I'm A Barbie Girl In The Barbie World  
Life In Plastic, It's Fantastic  
You Can Brush My Hair, Undress Me Everywhere  
Imagination, Life Is Your Creation

I'm A Blonde Single Girl In The Fantasy World  
Dress Me Up, Take Your Time, I'm Your Dollie  
You're My Doll, Rock And Roll, Feel The Glamour And Pain  
Kiss Me Here, Touch Me There, Hanky-Panky

You Can Touch, You Can Play  
You Can Say I'm Always Yours, Oooh Whoa

I'm A Barbie Girl In The Barbie World  
Life In Plastic, It's Fantastic  
You Can Brush My Hair, Undress Me Everywhere  
Imagination, Life Is Your Creation

Come On, Barbie, Let's Go Party, Ha Ha Ha, Yeah  
Come On, Barbie, Let's Go Party, Oooh, Oooh  
Come On, Barbie, Let's Go Party, Ha Ha Ha, Yeah  
Come On, Barbie, Let's Go Party, Oooh, Oooh

Make Me Walk, Make Me Talk, Do Whatever You Please  
I Can Act Like A Star, I Can Beg On My Knees  
Come Jump In, Be My Friend, Let Us Do It Again  
Hit The Town, Fool Around, Let's Go Party

You Can Touch, You Can Play  
You Can Say I'm Always Yours  
You Can Touch, You Can Play  
You Can Say I'm Always Yours

Come On, Barbie, Let's Go Party, Ha Ha Ha, Yeah  
Come On, Barbie, Let's Go Party, Oooh, Oooh  
Come On, Barbie, Let's Go Party, Ha Ha Ha, Yeah  
Come On, Barbie, Let's Go Party, Oooh, Oooh

I'm A Barbie Girl In The Barbie World  
Life In Plastic, It's Fantastic  
You Can Brush My Hair, Undress Me Everywhere  
Imagination, Life Is Your Creation

I'm A Barbie Girl In The Barbie World  
Life In Plastic, It's Fantastic  
You Can Brush My Hair, Undress Me Everywhere  
Imagination, Life Is Your Creation

Come On, Barbie, Let's Go Party, Ha Ha Ha, Yeah  
Come On, Barbie, Let's Go Party, Oooh, Oooh  
Come On, Barbie, Let's Go Party, Ha Ha Ha, Yeah  
Come On, Barbie, Let's Go Party, Oooh, Oooh

- Oh, I'm Having So Much Fun!  
- Well, Barbie, We're Just Getting Started!  
- Oh, I Love You Ken!"

I was crying will laughter by the time he had finished and so was everyone else, his voice wasn't that bad but the best parts were when he pretended to be Barbie and his dance moves.

"Thank you" he said and bowed then jumped down from the stage

"Next up will be Claire Collins" did she just say my name? Oh god he did, I looked at them.

"Sorry I forgot to change it to Danvers" Aidan mumbled

"I don't care about that it's the part about me getting up on stage and singing that I'm upset about, I can't sing and I have like no confidence" I chocked out

"You'll be fine, besides I had to and mine was filmed also everyone has to do it so you better get up there" Ryan said and nudged me

"Claire Collins?" the guy asked again

"Yeh…I-I'm coming" I replied nervously

"You can do it Claire!" they all shouted as I got up the stairs.

"So what song will you be singing?" he asked

"She'll be singing Take it off by Kesha" Ryan shouted and I glared at him, they chose one of my favourite songs but this one was so embarrassing to sing. The music started playing.

"There's a place downtown,  
where the freaks all come around.  
It's a hole in the wall.  
It's a dirty free for all.

When the dark  
of the night comes around  
that's the time,  
that the animal comes alive.  
Looking for  
something wild.

And now we lookin' like pimps  
in my gold Trans-Am.  
Got a water bottle full of whiskey  
in my handbag.  
Got my drunk text on  
I'll regret it in the mornin'  
But tonight  
I don't give a  
I don't give a  
I don't give a

There's a place downtown,  
Where the freaks all come around.  
It's a hole in the wall.  
It's a dirty free for all.

And they turn me on.  
When they take It Off  
When they take It Off  
Everybody Take It Off

There's a place I know  
if you're looking for a show.  
Where they go hardcore  
and there's glitter on the floor.

And they turn me on.  
When they take it off  
when they take it Off  
Everybody Take It off

Lose your mind.  
Lose it now.  
Lose your clothes  
in the crowd.  
We're delirious.  
Tear it down  
'Till the sun comes back around.

N-now we're getting so smashed.  
Knocking over trash cans.  
Eurbody breakin' bottles  
it's a filthy hot mess.  
Gunna get faded  
I'm not the designated  
Driver so  
I don't give a  
I don't give a  
I don't give a

There's a place downtown,  
Where the freaks all come around.  
It's a hole in the wall.  
It's a dirty free for all.

And they turn me on.  
When they take It Off  
When they take It Off  
Everybody Take It Off

There's a place I know  
if you're looking for a show.  
Where they go hardcore  
and there's glitter on the floor.

And they turn me on.  
When they take It Off.  
When they take It Off.  
Everybody Take It Off.

Oh, oh, oh!

EVERYBODY TAKE IT OFF!

Oh, Oh, Oh!

EVERYBODY TAKE IT OFF!

Right now!

TAKE IT OFF! (Crowd)  
Right now!

TAKE IT OFF! (Crowd)  
Right now!

TAKE IT OFF! (Crowd)

Oooh.

Right now!

TAKE IT OFF! (Crowd)  
Right now!

TAKE IT OFF! (Crowd)

EVERYBODY TAKE IT OFF!

There's a place downtown,  
where the freaks all come around.  
It's a hole in the wall.  
It's a dirty free for all.

And they turn me on.  
When they take it off  
when they take It Off.  
Everybody Take It Off.

There's a place I know  
if you're looking for a show.  
Where they go hardcore  
and there's glitter on the floor.

And they turn me on.  
When they take it off  
when they take it Off  
Everybody Take It Off.

I looked around the room and everyone was standing up clapping and cheering to my surprise, they'd even joined in when they should've done. A huge smile came across my face and I looked at my friends who looked absolutely stunned and Ryan was smiling like a mad man.

"Whoa give it up for Claire Collins" the guy said and everyone screamed

I jumped down the stairs and made my way back to my friends, the crowd were surrounding me but they slowly dispersed when the next act was called, that person happened to be Jack. I sat down just as he got up.

"Oh my god CB you were amazing" Becky cried and hugged me

"I can't remember the last time I heard you sing, I think it was a school play but got I forgot how good you were"

"Um…thanks"

"Hey liar you said you weren't good" Ryan shouted over Jack's singing as he hugged me

"I'm not a good singer"

"No you're not good you're bloody fantastic!" he replied

"Yeh and…" he started but was interrupted by a man in blue jeans and a white shirt, his buttons undone and he was wearing a leather jacket.

"You're Claire Collins right?" he asked

"Um…yeh that's me, who are you?"

"I'm David Jones, I work for UMG, the universal music group and I love your voice. I think you could go places and I'd like to help you" he said

"Wait what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I think you have an amazing talent and you could sell CD's and that I want to get you into the studio as soon as possible to show my colleagues"

"Um… I dunno, can I think about it?"

"Of course, here's my card; when you've made your decision give me a call"

"Thank you"

"No problem" he smiled and then walked away

I sat there in my seat, eyes wide. _**Did that just happen?**_

"Claire" Ryan said and waved his hand in front of my face bringing me back to reality

"Was that what I thought it was?" I asked

"Uh huh" he said and smiled and I jumped into his arms

He spun me around whilst the others screamed.

"Hey what did I miss?" Jack asked as he rejoined us

"Claire just got offered to become a pop star; they want her to go to the studio to record"

"And what did you say?"

"I said I'd think about it"

"Are you serious?"

"Yeh, look it was a shock and I need to think about this; I mean I'm pregnant"

They all went silent

"Oh yeh sorry I forgot"

"No problem, I'll have a think and then I'll let you guys know ok?"

"Fine by me, so Becky you're up next" he said and she ran to the stage.

I wasn't really paying much attention to my friends singing anymore, I was too busy thinking about my future. This could be good for me, I need the money for the baby but then again it can also be bad because it's going to be stressful and I'm never going to free of the press. The rest of the night passed quickly as I thought about my decision. It was 10pm when we got home and I was absolutely shattered so I went straight to bed. Before I went to sleep I phoned the Glass house, thank god they were out because I don't think I had the energy to talk about it all.

"Hey this is Claire, I'm just phoning to let you know that I got some good news tonight, I've been asked to come down to UMG studios to record some music. A guy approached me after I sang karaoke, I'm sure the video will be on facebook by tomorrow. Anyway I'll phone you later, I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet but when I know you'll be the first to know. Love you bye" and I hung up

I crawled into my bed and pulled the covers over me. I lay there thinking about my decision, something that will change my life forever.


	20. Chapter 20

Shane's Pov:

We'd just been to the cinema and out for dinner, Michael, Eve, Sarah and I; we had so much fun and we actually got to watch a horror movie something we wouldn't have been able to do if Claire had been here. _**Stop thinking about her, I bet she doesn't think about you! **_I was glad that Sarah had come because I don't think I'd have been able to cope watching Michael and Eve kissing all night but with Sarah here it was actually fun. She was different from most girls, she was into pranks and fights where as Claire liked to keep the peace. She was more like me, that's probably liked her so much; I definitely prefer this Sarah to the one on our date where it was all about her. We had a lot in common for instance her dad was a violent alcoholic drunk that hit her until he was arrested for trying to kill her little brother and we like the same music and have both just come out of relationships. She even got on with Eve and Michael, which was great because that meant she could come back to the house with me to play video games and have a drink.

"Ah can we go the arcade and then to a club?" Eve asked

"Don't you have you have work tomorrow?" I asked her

"So? I don't want to go home yet please"

I looked at Michael and then at Sarah and they both nodded so we continued our night out playing games and getting pissed. It was around 2 am when we left the club and Eve was totally hammered, I was fine and so was Sarah; god she can drink, I think she drank more than all of us put together but then again when you started drinking at the age of 8 what do you expect. Michael drove us home, Eve was babbling in the front about something I didn't really understand.

"So Sarah where do you live?" I asked her

"Um…2 blocks down from you, number 512"

"Oh cool, who'd you live with?" Michael asked

"My little brother, my dad's in prison and my mum remarried and moved away"

"Oh I'm sorry" he apologised

"No don't worry about it, its fine, we're better off without them" she said and looked out of the window

"So how old is he?"

"He's 16, so 5 nearly 6 years younger than me"

"Oh cool, so you two close" I asked

"Yeh, I'd die for my brother; he's done so much for me that I'll never be able to repay him"

"Really, Like what?"

"Like when my dad got drunk one night, he'd embarrassed me in front of all my friends and I told him I hated him, something you shouldn't do when the guys drunk. Anyway he came at me, pushed me up against the wall and punched me right in the face; he didn't even care that it was in front of all my friends. I was only 14 so Dylan would've been about 8 and as my dad went to punch again he hit my dad over the head with a bottle of wine. That just made him angrier and he went for him, he beat him up; he broke 4 of his ribs, his leg and he kicked him in the head. He was in a coma for 1 and a half months and he was arrested for attempted murder. Um… he also beat this guy up because he was forcing himself onto me, I was nearly raped and I'd called him before and he left his date to come help me; he got there just in time and stopped him. The guy ended up in hospital but serves him right"

We all just looked at her.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry"

"No big deal, every family has problems; you know that more than anymore" I just nodded

"Wait how old was your brother when you were nearly raped?" Michael asked

"I was 19 so he would've been 14/15 years old"

"And how old was the guy?"

"20 I think"

"And he put him in hospital?" I said in shock

"Yeh, Dylan plays rugby; he has been ever since he was 8, he told me that he wasn't going to let dad hurt me anymore, that he needed to protect me so he started training and he started boxing too, um…I think I have a picture somewhere hold on….here it is" she said pulling it out of her purse.

The boy in the picture looked a lot older than 16 and he was huge, like bigger than most of the guys my age huge, I defiantly wouldn't want to pick a fight with him. The car pulled up outside our house and we all got out, Michael carried Eve inside as she was in no fit state and took her into the kitchen to get some coffee down her.

"So what game do you want to play?" I asked her

"You got any zombie games? They're my favourite and I'm pretty good at them too" she replied

"Where have you been all my life?" I said to her and we both laughed as we settled onto the sofa, I turned on the TV, put in the game and plugged in two controllers. 'I'm pretty good at it too' was an understatement, she was nearly better than me; or just as good. We played 8 matches I won 4 and she won 4. Just as we were about to start the 9th round Eve and Michael come back into the room; Eve looking a bit better.

"Hey how you doing?" I asked her and paused the game

"I feel like shit and am going to be worse in the morning but I'll live"

"Good because Michael and I would die if we didn't have anyone to cook our food" I said and smiled at her, she flipped me off.

"Hey Michael we have a new message, got play it please"

He jumped and walked over to it normal speed, probably because he didn't want to freak Sarah out. The message started

'Message received at 10.22pm: Hey this is Claire, I'm just phoning to let you know that I got some good news tonight, I've been asked to come down to UMG studios to record some music. A guy approached me after I sang karaoke, I'm sure the video will be on facebook by tomorrow. Anyway I'll phone you later, I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet but when I know you'll be the first to know. Love you bye" the machine beeped as the message ended. I froze on the spot; I hadn't heard her voice in ages.

"Oh my god did we just hear right or did CB just say that she was asked to come to the studio"

"No you heard right" Michael replied and smiled

"Our baby's growing up, god I need to talk to her; where's the phone?" she searched frantically around the room for it

"Eve, calm down you can call her tomorrow, she's probably asleep"

"Yeh I suppose you're right, oh god I'm so happy for her" she squealed and jumped up and down

"Eve she hasn't accepted yet"

"Your point is?" she said and kissed him

I still hadn't said anything, Sarah was looking at me now; she must've realised something was wrong.

"So who's Claire?" she asked

"She's my wife" I whispered and Eve and Michael stopped kissing to look at me

"That explains your reaction to the message then"

"Yeh…"

"Why do you call her your baby?" she asked Eve

"Because Claire's younger than us, she was sixteen when she came to us; we were all eighteen and she was always in trouble. We were basically like her parents"

"Oh I see" she nodded and turned back to look at me again

Eve and Michael had made their way up the stairs, I was still in shock and Sarah was still staring at me.

"So you ok?" she asked

"Yeh I'm good, so ready to play round 9?" I asked her changing the subject

"Hell yeh" she smirked and I un-paused the game. Zombies appeared on the screen and we both shot them, but my heart wasn't really in it; I wasn't having as much fun as I had been, ever since we listened to Claire's message. She's changing, there's no chance for me now; I'm never going to get her back.


	21. Chapter 21

Claire Pov:

I didn't sleep at all last night, all I did was think about my decision and whether I was doing the right thing; this would change my life forever. It wasn't just me to think about either; this would affect my child too, I had to do what was best for him/her. As I was thinking about this there was a knock on my door.

"Come in" I said knowing that it would probably be Ryan, which it was.

"Good morning" he said

"Good morning to you too" I said and yawned

"Didn't get much sleep?" he asked

"None, I was too busy thinking about what I was going to do" I replied and yawned again

"And have you made a decision yet?" he said and sat down on the bed next to me

"I…I'm going to do this, I've never actually thought about this kind of job before; I was more of a science kinda girl but this will be good, I need to do this for my baby"

"I don't want you just to do this because of the baby, do it because you want to do it; if it's money you're worried about then we've already said that we'd help you and I spoke to your friend Eve and she said they'd help out too"

"Wait you spoke to Eve? When?"

"Last night, she phoned to speak to you; saying that you'd left a message but you were in bed so we had a…chat"

"Oh"

"Yeh…"

"So what was this chat about?" I asked already knowing the answer

"Oh you know, just how if I hurt you they'd kill me and I have to say Eve has some pretty colourful ideas about that, she um…described them all in detail too and they sounded…how can I put this?...inhumane"

"Yep that's my Eve always looking out for me" I laughed

"So you coming down stairs for something to eat or going back to bed?" he asked and gave me a quick kiss

"Um…actually I'm gunna…" I jumped up, covered my mouth and ran as fast as I could to the bathroom, leaning over the toilet

I heard Ryan's footsteps come up behind me, he pulled my hair out of my face as I puked repeatedly; I sat there while I waited for him to get me some water and toilet roll.

"You finished?"

"Yeh, god I hate being pregnant"

"You won't when you have that beautiful baby in your arms"

"Oh I so can, especially when I'm not going to be getting any sleep"

"Yeh but…" I waited for him to say the next bit "Ok I got nothing" he finally admitted and I laughed

"Come on lets get some breakfast, I think Becky's cooking bacon"

"Yum"

Breakfast was being dished out as we entered the kitchen _**perfect timing**_ I thought to myself as I sat down on the bar stool. Becky piled the food onto my plate as if she were feeding the 5000.

"Hey why does Claire get all the food?" Aidan moaned

"Because she's pregnant so needs more food"

"Yeh but I'm hungry…"

"Get the fuck over it" she smiled and gave him a kiss

"Sorry" I muttered to him

"No problem I have something much better" he smiled and looked at Becky who also had a big smile upon her face. The whole room went silent as we ate, everyone eager to get the food inside us and I was definitely one of them; I hadn't eaten since dinner yesterday and being pregnant means you eat a lot and more frequently so I was starving.

"So Claire, have you decided what you're going to do?" Becky asked

"Um…yeh I'm gunna go down to the studio, I just need to phone them and arrange a time"

Everyone stopped and looked at me, one after the other smiles appeared across their faces.

"Oh my god that's fantastic!" Lucy and Becky squealed together and hugged me

"Thanks"

"You've got to phone them, like now…where's the phone" Becky said and crazily searched around the room for it, I looked over at Ryan for a bit of help.

"Um…Becky why don't you let Claire do that when she's ready, she's eating her breakfast"

"But…"

"Yeh Becky I think that would be best" Aidan cut in and pulled her towards him for a kiss

I let out a sigh and mouthed thanks to Ryan who smiled back at me. Once I'd finished I quickly escaped before I got stuck with doing the dishes and ran up the stairs to my room. I pulled the card from the leather jacket I was wearing last night and typed the number into my mobile phone, I was shaking as it rang and then a man answered

"Hello this is David Jones, UMG studios who's speaking?"

"Um…this is Claire Dan…Collins from karaoke last night" I stuttered

"Oh yes I remember, so have you made a decision yet?"

"Yes, I've decided to take you up on your offer…if it's still available?"

"Of course it's still available and I have to say that I think you've made the right decision. So when are you free? Is today at 3 ok?"

"Yes that's fine"

"Great I will have a car come pick you up, what's your address?"

"122 Brick Lane"

"Great, I'll see you later then"

"Ok and thank you"

"No problem"

Then the call ended. My heart was beating so fast that I could've had a heart attack, god I was so nervous. I had to tell them all. I ran downstairs, they were all watching TV

"I'm going to the studio today at 3!" I screamed and they all looked up at me in shock, Ryan was the first to respond; he pulled me into a hug and spun me around and then he did something that completely shocked me. He took hold of my face in his hands and kissed me. With everyone watching us! At first I didn't respond due to shock but then I responded and my whole body was electric, I raised my hands so one was on his neck and the other was tangled in his hair. When we heard coughing in the background we pulled away from each other and turned to see our friends.

"Since when did this happen?" Becky asked

"Um…I don't know it just kinda happened" I whispered

"Why didn't you tell me?" Becky said and smiled

"Um…I don't know"

"Ok whatever we'll talk about this later, back to you and the studio; what's happening?" she asked, thankfully changing the subject

"I'm getting picked up at 3 and taken to the studio; I'll probably have to sing some stuff so they can make a demo CD, that's what they had to do with Michael"

"Michael?" they all asked

"My roommate from Morganville"

"The one who you were married too?" Lucy asked

"No I'm married to Shane"

They all went silent.

"We have to get an outfit ready for you" Becky said and grabbed my hand, almost yanking it out of its socket.


	22. Chapter 22

Claire's Pov:

I was sitting on the sofa with Ryan next to me holding my hand and Becky on my other side, she'd picked out a white summer dress for me and she'd done my make up and hair too. We all sat there in silence as we waited for the car to pick me up, they were all coming to show their support. He didn't say if I could bring friends but he didn't exactly say that I couldn't either so I thought what the hell I need all the support I can get. I was looking at my watch every 2 minutes to see when the car would arrive, it was 2.59; oh god it was coming soon and then I will know if my life's gunna change. I couldn't breathe I was panicking too much.

"Claire calm down, you'll do fine" Ryan said next to me, giving me a kiss on the forehead

"But…I can't do this"

"Yes you can, you did it in front of a crowd so you can do it in front of one man, whom you've already sung in front of"

"Yeh but that was different I didn't know who he was"

"You still did it so stop worrying ok, you'll be great"

I nodded and then kissed him.

"Claire the car's here" Jack shouted

I started panicking again

"Claire…"

"I can't"

"Yes you can, now come on" he pulled me out to the car; it wasn't just any car it was a limo! The driver got out to open the door

"Is it ok that I'm bringing my friends?" I asked him

"It's perfectly fine, most people do" he replied and smiled out me.

All six of us climbed into the back where we drank champagne, well I didn't because I was pregnant but the others did. The drive was quite short which was good because I thought I was going to pass out from nerves. It pulled up outside a huge building and we all got out and were escorted into the building by a very handsome man.

"Claire Collins?" he asked me

"That's me"

"He's expecting you, studio 8" he said and gestured to the door on my right, I nodded in response and made my way over to the door very slowly, my breathing speeding up all the time. My mobile rang, I looked at the screen it was Eve but I didn't have time to answer it, I rejected it and continued to the door; my friends following behind me. I paused outside the door, my hand shaking on the doorknob. I took in a deep breath and pushed the door open. David Jones spun around in the chair and smiled at me.

"Claire, come in" he said and hugged me "Take a seat, your friends can watch over there whilst you're in the booth"

I nodded

"Ok so first I'll get you all geared up with a microphone and then you'll go into the booth, you'll sing 4 songs for me is that ok?"

"That's fine" I replied nervously and he could tell because he smiled again

"There's no need to be nervous Claire you have a fantastic singing voice, so anyway I'd like you to sing the song you sang for karaoke and then you can choose the other 3. If it's possible I'd like to have a range of different songs"

"Ok" I said

"Great let's get you ready"

He took me into the booth and told me how everything worked, he was going to play the music and I'd hear it in the booth, he was going to give me the words and then when I was ready I'd start recording. My friends were all talking outside but I couldn't hear what they were saying, David had told me that the speakers were switched off at the moment so I couldn't hear them and they couldn't hear me.

"Ok Claire, you ready?" he asked from the control room where my friends were

"Yes"

As the music started to play I saw Ryan answer my mobile, I didn't know what he was saying but then he held the phone away from him and towards me. _**Did he expect me to come to it? No he couldn't could he? I can't go I'm about to record!**_ I just ignored it and began to sing.

"There's a place downtown,  
where the freaks all come around.  
It's a hole in the wall.  
It's a dirty free for all.

When the dark  
of the night comes around  
that's the time,  
that the animal comes alive.  
Looking for  
something wild.

And now we lookin' like pimps  
in my gold Trans-Am.  
Got a water bottle full of whiskey  
in my handbag.  
Got my drunk text on  
I'll regret it in the mornin'  
But tonight  
I don't give a  
I don't give a  
I don't give a

There's a place downtown,  
Where the freaks all come around.  
It's a hole in the wall.  
It's a dirty free for all.

And they turn me on.  
When they take It Off  
When they take It Off  
Everybody Take It Off

There's a place I know  
if you're looking for a show.  
Where they go hardcore  
and there's glitter on the floor.

And they turn me on.  
When they take it off  
when they take it Off  
Everybody Take It off

Lose your mind.  
Lose it now.  
Lose your clothes  
in the crowd.  
We're delirious.  
Tear it down  
'Till the sun comes back around.

N-now we're getting so smashed.  
Knocking over trash cans.  
Eurbody breakin' bottles  
it's a filthy hot mess.  
Gunna get faded  
I'm not the designated  
Driver so  
I don't give a  
I don't give a  
I don't give a

There's a place downtown,  
Where the freaks all come around.  
It's a hole in the wall.  
It's a dirty free for all.

And they turn me on.  
When they take It Off  
When they take It Off  
Everybody Take It Off

There's a place I know  
if you're looking for a show.  
Where they go hardcore  
and there's glitter on the floor.

And they turn me on.  
When they take It Off.  
When they take It Off.  
Everybody Take It Off.

Oh, oh, oh!

EVERYBODY TAKE IT OFF!

Oh, Oh, Oh!

EVERYBODY TAKE IT OFF!

Right now!

TAKE IT OFF!  
Right now!

TAKE IT OFF!  
Right now!

TAKE IT OFF!

Oooh.

Right now!

TAKE IT OFF!  
Right now!

TAKE IT OFF!

EVERYBODY TAKE IT OFF!

There's a place downtown,  
where the freaks all come around.  
It's a hole in the wall.  
It's a dirty free for all.

And they turn me on.  
When they take it off  
when they take It Off.  
Everybody Take It Off.

There's a place I know  
if you're looking for a show.  
Where they go hardcore  
and there's glitter on the floor.

And they turn me on.  
When they take it off  
when they take it Off  
Everybody Take It Off."

"That was fantastic Claire now what is your second song?"

"Um…A moment like this" I replied and saw him nod and turn to his computer, the music began to play, Ryan still had the phone out stretched.

"What if I told you it was all meant to be?  
Would you believe me, would you agree?  
It's almost that feeling that we've met before  
So tell me that you don't think I'm crazy  
When I tell your love has come here and now

A moment like this, some people wait a lifetime  
For a moment like this, some people search forever  
For that one special kiss  
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this

Everything changes but beauty remains  
Something so tender I can't explain  
Well, I may be dreaming but till I awake  
Can we make this dream last forever?  
And I'll cherish all the love that we share

A moment like this, some people wait a lifetime  
For a moment like this, some people search forever  
For that one special kiss  
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this

Could this be the greatest love of all?  
I wanna know that you will catch me when I fall  
So let me tell you this  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this

Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
Some people search forever for that one special kiss  
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this

Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
Some people search forever for that one special kiss  
I can't believe it's happening to me  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
A moment like this"

When I opened my eyes after I had finished the song, everyone was crying, even David Jones; their mouths hanging open in shock.

"The next song is born to try"

"Doing everything that I believe in  
Going by the rules that I've been taught  
More understanding of what's around me  
And protected from the walls of love

All that you see is me  
And all I truly believe

That I was born to try  
I've learned to love  
Be understanding  
And believe in life  
But you've got to make choices  
Be wrong or right  
Sometimes you've got to sacrifice the things you like

But I was born to try

No point in talking what you should have been  
And regretting the things that went on  
Life's full of mistakes, destinies and fate  
Remove the clouds look at the bigger picture

And all that you see is me  
And all I truly believe

That I was born to try  
I've learned to love  
Be understanding  
And believe in life  
But you've got to make choices  
Be wrong or right  
Sometimes you've got to sacrifice the things you like

But I was born to try

All that you see is me  
All I truly believe  
All that you see is me  
And all I truly believe

That I was born to try

I've learned to love  
Be understanding  
And believe in life  
But you've got to make choices  
Be wrong or right  
Sometimes you've got to sacrifice the things you like

But I was born to try

But you've got to make choices  
Be wrong or right  
Sometimes you've got to sacrifice the things you like

But I was born to try"

The last song was 'only girl'; he did say that he wanted a variety.

"La la la la  
La la la la  
La la la la

I want you to love me, like I'm a hot guy  
Keep thinkin' of me, doin' what you like  
So boy forget about the world cuz it's gon' be me and you tonight  
I wanna make your bed for ya, then imma make you swallow your pride

Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world  
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love  
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart  
Only girl in the world...  
Like I'm the only one that's in command  
Cuz I'm the only one who understands how to make you feel like a man  
Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world  
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love  
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart  
Only one...

Want you to take me like a thief in the night  
Hold me like a pillow, make me feel right  
Baby I'll tell you all my secrets that I'm keepin', you can come inside  
And when you enter, you ain't leavin', be my prisoner for the night

Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world  
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love  
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart  
Only girl in the world...  
Like I'm the only one that's in command  
Cuz I'm the only one who understands, like I'm the only one who knows your heart, only one...

Take me for a ride  
Oh baby, take me high  
Let me make you first  
Oh make it last all night  
Take me for a ride  
Oh baby, take me high  
Let me make you first  
Make it last all night

Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world  
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love  
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart  
Only girl in the world...  
Like I'm the only one that's in command  
Cuz I'm the only one who understands how to make you feel like a man  
Only girl in the world...  
Girl in the world...  
Only girl in the world...  
Girl in the world"

The music stopped, I had finished and everyone was up on their feet screaming and shouting

"Go Claire!" Ryan yelled making me laugh

"Oh my god that was fantastic!" Becky said

"Come in here please Claire" David said which made me totally nervous

I walked out of the booth and back into the control room, they all swarmed around me but I quickly escaped and went to speak to David.

"Hey Ryan can you turn the phone off please, you too Becky"

"But I'm filming it!" Becky said

"I'm on the phone to Eve and your friends"

"What! No please tell her I'll phone her back"

"But…"

"Just do it please Ryan"

He nodded and put the phone to his ear

"Hey, yeh I know it was amazing; anyway Claire said can she phone you back. Yep I will ok…bye"

I smiled at him and then turned back to David

"That was bloody amazing" he almost shouted

"Thank you sir"

"God you put so much emotion and feeling into your music, you had us all in tears; that's what we need, I'm going to take this demo CD into my next meeting later on tonight and I'll let you know what they think of it by tomorrow morning"

"Ok thank you"

"No problem, here take this so you can have a copy" he handed me a CD with Claire Collins written on the front in black ink "There's a snack table outside, you and your friends can help yourself"

"Thank you, oh I need to ask you a question"

"Shoot"

"Um…well I'm pregnant…will that effect anything?"

"Don't see why it should, its part of life isn't it and besides it would probably help your career, that's if we sign you" he smiled

"Thank you again sir"

"It's been a pleasure"

We hugged again and then left the room, my friends instantly jumped on me with hugs and kisses and cheers and compliments. I felt so good, something I'd never felt before, I felt confident and I just wanted to go back in there and sing some more.


	23. Chapter 23

Eve's Pov:

We had all got up late as we'd been out drinking last night, my head was killing me _**god I hate hangovers, please stop me from drinking this much next time!**_ We'd got home last night and Michael had taken me into the kitchen to sober me up, when I was slightly better than what I was and could actually walk without Michael supporting me I went into the living room where Shane and Sarah were playing zombie games. Sarah's not a bad girl, her and Shane have a lot in common and she seems to make Shane happy; which is something he needs right now. I know he was the one who made Claire leave and I really hated him because of it but when Michael called me upstairs that night and I saw Shane half dead on the floor after he tried to kill himself I felt so bad for him. He deserves to be happy, even after everything and if Sarah's the girl to make that happen then great. However, Shane keeps insisting that they're just friends which completely shocked me, even if they're not anything now I guarantee that they will be; it always happens. Anyway as I went to sit on the sofa next to Shane I noticed that we had an answer machine message so when I saw Michael walking into the living room I made him play it. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard what Claire was saying.

"Hey this is Claire, I'm just phoning to let you know that I got some good news tonight, I've been asked to come down to UMG studios to record some music. A guy approached me after I sang karaoke, I'm sure the video will be on facebook by tomorrow. Anyway I'll phone you later, I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet but when I know you'll be the first to know. Love you bye"

How great is that, our CB could become a famous pop star! I was so excited for her and she hadn't even accepted yet, I hope she does do it because she needs some happiness in her life especially after what she told Michael and I on webcam, she was so upset and I hated seeing her like that but hopefully this will distract her and make her happy again, I miss my little CB's smile. I wanted to phone her last night but 1) I couldn't find my phone and 2) Michael said that she'd probably be in bed so I just had to wait until today. Unfortunately we all woke up late so I didn't get to catch her this morning, she'd left me 2 text messages but neither one said her decision! We were all in the kitchen eating breakfast/lunch, none of us really in the mood to talk or well…do anything so I pulled out my phone and dialled Claire's number, she either didn't pick up or she rejected me. I hope it was the first one because I don't want my CB ignoring me. When I phoned her again Ryan picked up.

"Hello" he said

"Hey it's Eve who's this?" I asked

"It's Ryan"

"Oh hey Ryan is Claire there?"

"Well she is but she can't speak right now" he replied

_**Why couldn't he just put her on the phone or give me a reason why she can't come to the phone!**_

"Why not?"

"Because she's in a recording booth about to make a demo!" he said, at first I didn't think I heard right but then I screamed

"Ahhhhh" I screamed loudly and jumped up to do my happy dance, I'd definitely woken Michael and Shane up now and there expressions were a mix between 'Fucking hell you stupid cow and is she crazy?'

"What?" Michael asked

"CB accepted, she's in the recording booth right now"

"Really!" Michael said

"Yeh…hold on let me just talk to Ryan again" he nodded and I put the phone back to my ear

"Ryan? You still there?" I asked

"Yep"

"What's she doing?"

"She's just about to sing, I'll put you on loud speaker so you can hear ok? Don't worry if you can't Becky's filming it and I'll just send it to you if I need too"

"Ok thanks" I replied and put my phone on loud speaker; Shane and Michael were looking at me

"He's putting it on loud speaker so we can hear her sing!" I squealed

The music started playing and then she sang.

"There's a place downtown,  
where the freaks all come around.  
It's a hole in the wall.  
It's a dirty free for all.

When the dark  
of the night comes around  
that's the time,  
that the animal comes alive.  
Looking for  
something wild.

And now we lookin' like pimps  
in my gold Trans-Am.  
Got a water bottle full of whiskey  
in my handbag.  
Got my drunk text on  
I'll regret it in the mornin'  
But tonight  
I don't give a  
I don't give a  
I don't give a

There's a place downtown,  
Where the freaks all come around.  
It's a hole in the wall.  
It's a dirty free for all.

And they turn me on.  
When they take It Off  
When they take It Off  
Everybody Take It Off

There's a place I know  
if you're looking for a show.  
Where they go hardcore  
and there's glitter on the floor.

And they turn me on.  
When they take it off  
when they take it Off  
Everybody Take It off

Lose your mind.  
Lose it now.  
Lose your clothes  
in the crowd.  
We're delirious.  
Tear it down  
'Till the sun comes back around.

N-now we're getting so smashed.  
Knocking over trash cans.  
Eurbody breakin' bottles  
it's a filthy hot mess.  
Gunna get faded  
I'm not the designated  
Driver so  
I don't give a  
I don't give a  
I don't give a

There's a place downtown,  
Where the freaks all come around.  
It's a hole in the wall.  
It's a dirty free for all.

And they turn me on.  
When they take It Off  
When they take It Off  
Everybody Take It Off

There's a place I know  
if you're looking for a show.  
Where they go hardcore  
and there's glitter on the floor.

And they turn me on.  
When they take It Off.  
When they take It Off.  
Everybody Take It Off.

Oh, oh, oh!

EVERYBODY TAKE IT OFF!

Oh, Oh, Oh!

EVERYBODY TAKE IT OFF!

Right now!

TAKE IT OFF!  
Right now!

TAKE IT OFF!  
Right now!

TAKE IT OFF!

Oooh.

Right now!

TAKE IT OFF!  
Right now!

TAKE IT OFF!

EVERYBODY TAKE IT OFF!

There's a place downtown,  
where the freaks all come around.  
It's a hole in the wall.  
It's a dirty free for all.

And they turn me on.  
When they take it off  
when they take It Off.  
Everybody Take It Off.

There's a place I know  
if you're looking for a show.  
Where they go hardcore  
and there's glitter on the floor.

And they turn me on.  
When they take it off  
when they take it Off  
Everybody Take It Off."

Oh my god how come we'd never heard Claire sing before? I didn't even know she could sing and by the look on Shane's face neither did he, she was fucking fantastic. That's what I thought about the first song but when she sang the second one, I couldn't describe it.

"What if I told you it was all meant to be?  
Would you believe me, would you agree?  
It's almost that feeling that we've met before  
So tell me that you don't think I'm crazy  
When I tell your love has come here and now

A moment like this, some people wait a lifetime  
For a moment like this, some people search forever  
For that one special kiss  
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this

Everything changes but beauty remains  
Something so tender I can't explain  
Well, I may be dreaming but till I awake  
Can we make this dream last forever?  
And I'll cherish all the love that we share

A moment like this, some people wait a lifetime  
For a moment like this, some people search forever  
For that one special kiss  
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this

Could this be the greatest love of all?  
I wanna know that you will catch me when I fall  
So let me tell you this  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this

Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
Some people search forever for that one special kiss  
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this

Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
Some people search forever for that one special kiss  
I can't believe it's happening to me  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
A moment like this"

When she finished I looked at Shane and Michael and they were both crying like baby's, we all were and by the sounds on the other end of the phone so was everyone on the other end. She was phenomenal, I'd never heard anything like it; I was so shocked that such a big voice could come out of our little Claire, it was just…unbelievable.

"Doing everything that I believe in  
Going by the rules that I've been taught  
More understanding of what's around me  
And protected from the walls of love

All that you see is me  
And all I truly believe

That I was born to try  
I've learned to love  
Be understanding  
And believe in life  
But you've got to make choices  
Be wrong or right  
Sometimes you've got to sacrifice the things you like

But I was born to try

No point in talking what you should have been  
And regretting the things that went on  
Life's full of mistakes, destinies and fate  
Remove the clouds look at the bigger picture

And all that you see is me  
And all I truly believe

That I was born to try  
I've learned to love  
Be understanding  
And believe in life  
But you've got to make choices  
Be wrong or right  
Sometimes you've got to sacrifice the things you like

But I was born to try

All that you see is me  
All I truly believe  
All that you see is me  
And all I truly believe

That I was born to try

I've learned to love  
Be understanding  
And believe in life  
But you've got to make choices  
Be wrong or right  
Sometimes you've got to sacrifice the things you like

But I was born to try

But you've got to make choices  
Be wrong or right  
Sometimes you've got to sacrifice the things you like

But I was born to try"

I couldn't believe how good she was or how she kept this hidden from us. I wish I was there with her, it's not the same hearing her over the phone but I knew this was the best I was going to get. We all listened eagerly as she sang her last song.

"La la la la  
La la la la  
La la la la

I want you to love me, like I'm a hot guy  
Keep thinkin' of me, doin' what you like  
So boy forget about the world cuz it's gon' be me and you tonight  
I wanna make your bed for ya, then imma make you swallow your pride

Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world  
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love  
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart  
Only girl in the world...  
Like I'm the only one that's in command  
Cuz I'm the only one who understands how to make you feel like a man  
Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world  
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love  
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart  
Only one...

Want you to take me like a thief in the night  
Hold me like a pillow, make me feel right  
Baby I'll tell you all my secrets that I'm keepin', you can come inside  
And when you enter, you ain't leavin', be my prisoner for the night

Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world  
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love  
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart  
Only girl in the world...  
Like I'm the only one that's in command  
Cuz I'm the only one who understands, like I'm the only one who knows your heart, only one...

Take me for a ride  
Oh baby, take me high  
Let me make you first  
Oh make it last all night  
Take me for a ride  
Oh baby, take me high  
Let me make you first  
Make it last all night

Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world  
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love  
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart  
Only girl in the world...  
Like I'm the only one that's in command  
Cuz I'm the only one who understands how to make you feel like a man  
Only girl in the world...  
Girl in the world...  
Only girl in the world...  
Girl in the world"

We weren't even there but all three of us cheered for her, all of us still crying but so happy at the same time. She was so going to become famous, she had too; they couldn't waste such a talent. We all listened to see if we could hear what the guy was going to say. But then we heard Claire say

"Hey Ryan can you turn the phone off please, you too Becky"

"But I'm filming it!" Becky replied

"I'm on the phone to Eve and your friends" Ryan moaned

"What! No please tell her I'll phone her back" why was she so upset that we were on the phone?

"But…" Ryan tried to argue with her but failed

"Just do it please Ryan"

"Hey" Ryan said to me

"Hey, god she was fantastic"

"Yeh I know it was amazing; anyway Claire said can she phone you back"

"Ok tell her we said she was unbelievable and that we loved it, that we love her; tell her to phone us as soon as possible"

"Yep I will ok…bye"

And then he hung up. We just sat there all looking at each other with smiles on our faces; that was our CB! We waited, my mobile in my hand waiting for Claire to phone us to tell us what was happening.


	24. Chapter 24

Claire's Pov:

Was this really happening? Did I just record a demo? I can't believe it, this time tomorrow I could be famous!

"Claire you were amazing!" Ryan said and pulled me into a deep kiss, he tasted so good and I just wanted to stay there all day but I heard someone coughing in the background and we broke a part.

"Sorry Ryan but I'm her cousin so I get priority" Becky laughed and pulled me into a hug

"I can't believe that my little cousin could be famous!" she cried excitedly

"I haven't been told anything yet"

"They'd be stupid if they didn't sign you, you're too talented to let go"

"You're my cousin, you have to say that"

"I don't have to say anything; I always told Daniel to truth didn't I?"

"True"

Daniel was her younger brother, he was still older than me, he was 21 so only about 1 and a half years older than me but she always told him the truth, basically she was always criticising him, telling him how shit he was; I did feel sorry for Daniel, everyone kind of picked on him. However, he proved us all wrong as he's now a very successful lawyer, with a big house and a nice car.

"Come on let's celebrate!" Lucy screamed in joy

"Ah that's unfair because I'm not allowed to drink anything" I moaned

"You can have one" Becky smiled

"Fine, let's go"

We all piled back into the limo and asked the driver to drop us off at the club we'd been to last night for the karaoke, the club that could in fact change my life. I looked at my watch; _**it was already 5 o'clock, wow time files when you're having fun!**_ We all stumbled in; people probably already thought that we were drunk, falling all over the place and singing and dancing like hooligans but I didn't care, I was so happy; it felt so good to be singing in that booth, now I know why Michael likes it so much. _**Michael! Eve! I forgot to phone them back, shit! **_I pulled my phone out of my bag and typed in Eve's number. I waited patiently for an answer.

_**Eve's Pov:**_

We had all gone into the living room to watch a film, I still had my phone in my hand waiting for Claire to ring; it had been 2 hours since Ryan told me she'd phone me back and she hasn't yet.

"Eve, she'll call soon; just be patient, I'll bet she'll phone any second" Michael said and kissed my head

"Yeh you're…" I started but stopped when my phone rang in my hand, I squealed, answered the phone and put it on loud speaker

"Hello?"

"Hey it's Claire"

I squealed again

"Eve, I'm just going to go outside I can't really hear you"

'Hey babe I'm going outside because I can't hear what Eve's saying' she said probably to Ryan

'Ok, give me a kiss'

I heard her kissing him, how long did she want to take?

"Claire? You can kiss him later!" I said

"Oh sorry" she laughed and I heard her move outside

"Right I'm here, sorry we're celebrating and it's so loud in there"

"Where are you?"

"At the Prism club"

"You're not…"

"No, not allowed"

"Good" I replied

"Hey sorry about telling Ryan to hang up, it's just I said I'd tell you when I made my decision but I was too excited and forgot so I felt bad because you had to hear from Ryan"

"Hey CB don't worry about it, we were just so happy to hear you sing"

"I guess now I know why Ryan was holding the phone out towards me, so you heard me sing right?"

"Yep and it was absolutely incredible"

"Thanks, god I'm so nervous; I get told the decision tomorrow"

"You'll get it CB don't worry" Michael shouted

"Thanks Michael, hey and why didn't you tell me that singing made you feel so…alive, so happy"

"Um…you never asked"

"Yeh well you still should've told me, it was just so good singing in that booth; I just want to do it again"

"I know the feeling" he replied and laughed

There was silence for a second before I heard CB talking to someone; at first I thought it was Ryan.

'Hey sexy thing, wanna take that off because you turn me on; we can go hardcore for you' the guy said

'Um…no thanks I don't date ugly people' Claire said

'Oh well too bad because we want some action don't we boys'

_**Fucking hell! Was she gunna get raped? **_I looked at Michael and Shane who were clearly thinking the same thing

"Claire get the hell out of there! Get Ryan if you need too" I screamed

'Oh who's on the phone? I think it's time you ended it'

'Yeh and I think it's time you backed the hell up'

'Oh she's a feisty one, just how I like em'

'Yeh and if you don't back the hell off you'll be just how I like em, dead! you get me?'

Go CB!

'Are you threatening me girl?'

'If that's what it takes for you to piss off then I guess I am'

'I don't like being threatened'

'Really? And I don't like being harassed by vermin'

CB is badass, god I love that girl!

'Bitch you shouldn't have said that'

'Ahhhhh'

'Aww does that hurt?'

'Get off me!'

'Why should we?'

She was screaming

"Michael phone Ryan now and tell him to go and help her!" I yelled to him

"I don't have his number!" he shouted back

"I have it written down on the fridge, hurry up"

He ran vampire speed into the kitchen and he reappeared seconds later with the phone attached to his ear.

"Hey Ryan its Michael, Claire's friend, you have to go outside and help her now! Some guys are hurting her"

We all looked at each other and then we heard Claire scream again

'Please stop…please I'm pregnant!" she screamed and Michael and I looked at each other wide eyed before turning to see Shane, he was sitting perfectly still his face ghost white.

'What?' one of the guys shouted

'Shit guys we have to go, like now'

'Bastards!' she shouted

"Claire honey you're gunna be fine ok, Michael's phoned Ryan he'll be here soon, are you hurt?"

"Eve, I'm fine they only hit me"

I looked at Michael who was just as scared as I was

"Where did they hit you?"

"Only in the face thank god, the baby's fine; I'm not in any pain, just gunna have some big ass bruises tomorrow" she tried to laugh it off as if it was nothing

'Claire! Shit guys phone the ambulance' I heard Ryan scream

'No I'm fine, just a few cuts' she argued

'What about the baby?'

'We're both fine, they only hit my face thankfully'

"Hey Eve can I phone you back later please, I wanna go home and get cleaned up"

"Yeh that's fine" I replied even though it wasn't, I wanted to stay on the phone so I knew how she was. We all looked at each other, I didn't even know when I'd started crying but my make up had run.

"She'll be fine, they both will"

"Michael, she was right, she said that she could feel that something bad was going to happen to the baby, she told us Michael and we told her she was being silly"

"Eve we didn't know this was going to happen"

"We shouldn't have let her go, we should've forced her to stay; none of this would be happening" I cried into his shoulder

He rocked me backwards and forwards.

"Wait, you knew she was pregnant" Shane asked and stood in front of us

"Umm…yeh"

"What the fuck! You didn't think I should know, I'm still her husband!" he screamed

"Hey mate clam down" Michael said

"Calm down! You're telling me to fucking calm down! My wife is pregnant and you decided to keep it from me!" he yelled

"Look she didn't want us to tell you"

"What and because she told you not to you just do it? I've been your friend a lot longer than she has but you choose her over me, I thought you were my friends"

"Shane…"

"Fuck off both of you!" he bellowed and turned to the front door

"Shane you can't just leave, its dark outside" I replied and got up to stop him but he pushed me away

"Get off me!" he spat back at me

"Shane please…"

"You can't go out at night mate, it's dangerous and you and I both know that there are plenty of vamps that want you dead" Michael said to him

"1) I'm not your mate because if I was then you would've told me and 2) I'd rather take my chances with the vamps than be with the two people I loved the most who betrayed me, I wanna be with my actual friends; people who don't lie and keep secrets from me"

"Shane…" but it was too late; he was already out the front door slamming it shut behind him. _**Shit! One of my best friends has just been attacked and the other has just stormed out into the darkness in Morganville where vampires want to kill him! This is my fault, Shane stormed out because he found out we didn't tell him and Claire was attacked when I told her everything was going to be ok and that her baby was going to be fine! I hate not knowing what's happening, I hate not having Claire here with me where I can keep an eye on her; I hate Morganville! **_


	25. Chapter 25

Claire's Pov:

I was sitting on the sofa with Ryan next to me cleaning my cuts and Becky holding an ice pack on my forming bruises. I had a lucky escape, they could've kicked me in the stomach and hurt the baby; god why was I so stupid? Why do I always have to be smart about things? Why didn't I just get back inside? I put my baby at risk and now I think Shane knows, I just hope he doesn't put two and two together and realise that he's the father. I don't know what I'd do if he found out; I really don't need the stress. I needed to phone Eve but I was just too tired and I don't think I could handle a conversation with Michael and Eve lecturing me on safety.

"Hey I'm going to bed, I'm really tired can you do me a favour and phone Eve to tell her everything is ok"

"Yeh sure, you go on up to bed, night babe"

"Night" I said and kissed him before slowly making my way upstairs

I decided before I went to bed I'd have a shower, it could make me feel better and I really needed a wash. I grabbed my pyjamas and headed into the bathroom, I was about to take off my clothes when I got the most painful feeling in my stomach, I'd never felt anything like it; I looked down at my stomach and on the floor was a puddle of blood. Oh my god the baby!

"Ahhhhh" I screamed and slid down to the floor, I clutched my stomach tightly hoping the pain would go but it didn't I was sitting in my blood crying.

"Ryan!" I yelled but I don't think he heard me; the pain was so bad I could barely get a sentence out without howling with the pain

"Ryan! Becky! Someone please help me, Ahhhhh" I yelled as loud as I could. I heard footsteps pounding up the stairs, heading for the bathroom but I'd remembered that I'd locked the door. The pains in my stomach were that bad that I couldn't move, every time I tried the pain increased making me cry harder.

"Claire, open the door!" Ryan shouted as he banged loudly

"I can't…it hurts to move…Ahhhhh…please Ryan help me!" I screeched at the top of my lungs

The next thing I know the door has been smashed in and Ryan, Becky, Aidan and Jack came running in.

"Oh my god" Becky whispered and covered her mouth, tears escaped her blue eyes; at that moment I was so annoyed, why was she crying? What did she have to cry about? Was she the one who was pregnant, bleeding, with pains in her stomach? No that was me.

"Ryan…the baby!" I murmured and let out another scream making them all step back. He pulled out his mobile and pressed it to his ear, Becky had come to sit next to me, taking my hand and avoiding my blood on the floor. I don't know how long it took for the ambulance to arrive but it seemed like forever, I was slowly drifting off when they loaded me in but there was someone constantly shaking me; telling me to keep my eyes open and I swear to god I just wanted to punch them right in the face! Ryan was sitting next to me, his huge hands surrounded mine stopping them from shaking; I was so scared, not knowing whether my baby would live or die.


	26. Chapter 26

Claire's Pov:

"You're gunna be ok Claire, you both are; just hold on for me?" I heard Ryan say beside me

"Why am I…Ahhhhh" I cried out again, the paramedic got to her feet and came to look at me.

"…Bleeding?" I finished

The paramedic, Poppy her name tag said, looked over at Ryan and then back to the front; ignoring my question. What was so bad? Why wouldn't she tell me?

"Please…I need to…Ahhhhh" I howled and clutched my stomach, bringing my knees slightly closer to me.

"Claire you need to calm down, you're not doing the baby any good"

"Then tell me, I need to know" I managed to finish before letting out another shriek

"We don't know yet Claire, we need to run some tests; it could be anything, maybe even nothing serious"

"But is the baby ok?" I asked whilst clutching my stomach through another wave of pain

"I don't know, maybe" she looked at me with sadness in her eyes; she knew that the baby was dead but she wouldn't tell me.

"Oh god it's dead isn't it? I just killed my baby, why is this happening?" I cried

"Claire she said she didn't know" Ryan tried to tell me

"I could see it in her eyes, the baby's dead" I chocked out

My stomach was on fire and I was still bleeding, I was having a miscarriage. I was never going to see my baby, never going to hear it cry. It was all over before it had even started and it was all because I couldn't keep my smart ass comments to myself. The pain continued as I was rushed through the hospital doors, I was surrounded by loads of doctors, they were all speaking loudly to each other using terms I didn't understand and none of them would tell me anything; none of them would answer my questions. Ryan wasn't allowed to come with me any further and was made to stay in the waiting room, I begged them to let him come with me but they wouldn't let him; I turned to face him as they carted me off, Becky, Lucy, Jack and Aidan had just come up behind him; their expressions were trying to reassure me but they all failed, nothing was going to make me feel better. They got me hooked up to a machine, the pain was even worse when they lifted me from the stretcher and onto the bed. One of the nurses came towards me with a big needle, I looked away as she pushed it into my arm; it only took seconds before I fell into darkness.

_**Ryan's Pov:**_

I was walking up and down the waiting room, I couldn't stay still; I had to know if they were going to be ok.

"Ryan, will you quit pacing and sit down, you're making feel sick" Jack moaned

"I need to know if she's ok, if they're both ok. She was totally freaked out in the ambulance; she thinks she's lost it; what if she has?" I started

"Mate she'll be fine, they both will but…if she does lose it she's gunna need us to be strong, she's gunna need us to help her"

I sat down beside Lucy, she was crying and so was Becky; for some reason I couldn't cry; did that make me a monster? Even Jack and Aidan had cried at some point but my eyes had stayed dry the whole time.

"We need to phone Eve" Becky said and broke the silence, everyone looked at her

"They're her friends too, they should know"

"Yeh, you're right…I'll um…phone them now" I replied and got to my feet; I exited the room and walked down the corridor and out of the hospital doors. The cold air hit me like a hammer and took my breath away. I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and I scrolled down my contacts until I came to Eve's name. It rang three times before she answered.

"Hello?" she asked

"Hey Eve, its Ryan"

"Oh hey Ryan I wasn't expecting you to call"

"Yeh me neither, look I have something to tell you guys…it's about Claire"

There was silence.

"What kind of news? What's wrong with Claire?" I could hear the panic in her voice

"Um…"

"Hold on Ryan I need to call Michael down"

'Michael!' she shouted 'Ryan's on the phone, he has to tell us something about Claire, get down here now!' I heard footsteps coming towards her and then voices in the background asking what was wrong.

"Eve? Are you there?"

"Oh…yeh sorry, so what is it that you need to tell us?"

"Well…Claire…she um…she…she's in hospital"

"What? Why? What happened?" Eve asked

"She…there were pains and…blood, we think it's the baby"

"Oh my god! Did she lose it? Please tell me she didn't" Eve almost screamed down the phone

"I don't know they've just taken her in, we won't know for ages; I…I just thought you should know"

"Thank you"

"Um…I have to go but I'll phone you when I get any news ok?"

"Yeh that's fine and…thanks again Ryan"

"No problem" I replied and hung up. I slid down the hospital wall, the tears finally came. If only I'd gone outside with her, she wouldn't have been attacked; I should've gone with her! The anger was boiling up inside of me and I lost it, I punched the wall hard; I heard crunching, I'd probably just broken my hand but I didn't care, my knuckles were covered in blood. Jack had just come outside, he'd seen me release my anger; he made his way over to me and sat down.

"There you are; did you tell em?"

"Yeh"

"Mate I know it's hard but breaking your hand isn't gunna help her" he said and looked down at my bloody hand

"I could've stopped this; she wouldn't be in there if I'd gone outside with her"

"It's not your fault; you didn't know she was going to get attacked"

"Jack, we were outside a club, there was bound to be trouble; there always is"

"Ryan, stop beating yourself up about it; Claire needs you to be there for her"

"Are you trying to be funny? 'Stop beating yourself up' mate that's sick"

"You know I didn't mean it like that, I love Claire like a little sister; none of what has happened is funny"

"Whatever mate"

"I mean it, now I think we should get inside and get your hand sorted out"

"It's not that bad" I shrugged

"It hasn't stopped bleeding and I think it's broken"

"Fine"

We walked back inside the hospital and Jack insisted that I got my hand looked at, the doctor told me that it was broken and patched me up, about half an hour later we were back in the waiting room with the others. They kept going on about my hand and I just wanted to tell them all to shut the fuck up but I knew it wasn't them I was angry at, I was angry with myself for letting Claire go out on her own. Jack had finally saved me by telling them all to leave it. I don't know how long we'd all waited before the doctor finally came in to tell us what was happening.


	27. Chapter 27

"How is she?" I immediately asked

"She's stable; we managed to sedate her so she's not in any pain…"

"How's the baby?" I asked interrupting him

"We nearly lost them…"

"Them? What do you mean them?"

"Didn't you know she was having twins?"

"No, she hasn't had any scans yet; she has one booked for next week"

"Oh I see, anyway they're ok for now but we don't know how long it will last"

"Why not?" Aidan asked

"We still aren't sure what caused Claire to bleed like that, it could be down to stress or it could be natural; it's quite often for pregnant women to bleed during pregnancy"

"Is it natural for her to be screaming in agony too" I asked, he was really pissing me off; how can this be natural?

"Well we haven't had the test results back; we couldn't do any thorough tests as it could harm the baby"

"So what's going to happen?"

"We're going to keep her in over night just to be on the safe side and we will continue running tests"

"When will you get the test results back?" I asked

"In about a week, we'll give her some pain medication in case she gets anymore pains"

"Is she awake? Can I see her?"

"She's still unconscious but yes you can see her, only one at a time" he said and left the room

"What kind of a bloody doctor is he?" I yelled as the door closed

"Ryan…" Jack started

"No man, they don't even fucking know what's wrong with her! It could happen again and they don't know what's causing it! I don't want to see her like that again man, it was horrible; she was in so much pain and there was nothing anyone could do about it!"

"They can't do any detailed scans because they don't want to hurt the babies; they're doing everything they can"

"They aren't doing enough" I replied and walked out of the room

How hard was is to bloody run some tests and find out what was wrong with her! I stood outside Claire's room, she was lying in her bed; hooked up to a machine with tubes sticking out of her, I hated seeing her like this; I hated seeing her hurt. I pushed her door open slowly and walked over to her bed, her hand was cold against mine. I sat down in the chair beside her and waited for her eyes to open.

"Hey sleepyhead how you feeling?" I asked her

"Sore, very sore and tired"

"Well you just rest"

She suddenly sprung upright, her face full of pain as she clutched her stomach.

"How's the baby? Please tell me its ok?" she asked

"They're ok" I smiled

"Oh thank god, I was worried for a…wait did you say they're ok?"

"Yep, you're having twins"

"I'm what?"

"I said you're having twins"

"Oh my god really? Oh my god" she smiled and pulled me into a hug before letting out a loud cry

"Claire, are you ok?"

"Yeh, it just…my stomach"

"Do you want me to get a nurse? Some pain medication?"

"The…doctor please"

I returned with the doctor and watched as he helped Claire.

"How do you feel now Claire?"

"Better thank you"

"Great, I'm going to go through what's going to happen so I'm afraid he'll have to leave" he replied and looked at me, I so wanted to tell him to fuck off but Claire was giving me the 'Don't do anything stupid, I'll be fine' look so I stood up gave her a quick kiss and left the room. It seemed to take him forever to speak to her. I went straight back in as soon as he had left the room.

"So what did he say?"

"Nothing much, just asking me questions" she croaked

"What questions?" I asked curiously

"Like if I was ok? Did I have anymore pains?"

"Oh, so why couldn't I be in the room?"

"I don't know Ryan ok? I'm tired can you stop with the twenty questions please"

"Sure" I replied and she sighed

"I'm sorry Ryan, I'm just scared and tired and my stomach is sore; I shouldn't have said that and I'm sorry. Forgive me?"

"Always" I replied and kissed her

The others all came in after a while; they were obviously ignoring the one person at a time rule.

"I phoned Eve, told her what was happening" Becky said

"Thanks, what did they have to say?"

"Eve was just telling me to keep her updated, she wants you to phone her when you're out of hospital, when you get the results back and that she hopes you get better soon"

"Yeh that sounds like Eve"

"So how you feeling?" she asked her

"Sore and tired"

"Oh ok, we'll let you get some rest; we'll pick you up tomorrow?"

"Yeh that would be great thank you"

"Ryan you coming?" she asked me

I looked over at Claire who nodded.

"You go, I'll be fine; I need some sleep and having you here will keep me very distracted" she laughed, I loved the sound of her laugh; it melted my insides

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive now go, don't forget to bring some clothes with you tomorrow; I don't want to have to get back into my bloody ones, that's if they still have them"

I gave her a quick kiss and followed the others out.

_**Eve's Pov:**_

Becky had told me that they didn't know what was wrong with her, how can they not know? They're meant to be doctors for fuck sake! She said they were stable but they weren't sure if they were gunna stay like that, poor Claire, this must be so hard on her; I just want to be there with her, she needs her friends around her right now and we're miles away. What if she lost it, it would kill her and Shane doesn't even know that he's the dad…oh god we have to tell Shane, he wasn't back when we got the phone call so he doesn't know that Claire was taken into hospital. I jumped off of the sofa where Michael and I were just sitting and searched the house for my phone.

"What are you doing?" Michael asked

"We need to tell Shane"

"Tell him what?" he questioned

"About Claire…about the baby"

"But she doesn't want him to know"

"I know that but Shane's the dad, surely he should know, what if it dies"

"It's not our place to say"

"But…"

"Eve, Claire will tell him if she wants too; we can't make that decision for her"

"Fine but I'm still calling him to tell him she's in hospital…and we need to sort this out, he was really pissed when he found out we knew"

"Wouldn't you be? I know I would"

"We still need to try, he's our friend Michael and we hurt him"

"He probably won't answer"

"Well then we'll go looking for him, you and I both know that if anything happens to him we'd never forgive ourselves"

Yes! I found it, why the hell was it in the fridge? Well never mind I have to phone Shane. I pressed key two, which was Shane on speed dial and waited for him to answer but he didn't. I phoned three more times after that but he was ignoring me.

"We need to go look for him"

"Let him cool off, he'll…"

"Now! You know what Shane's like, he'll probably get drunk, start a fight and get his ass kicked by a vamp"

"Yeh you're right, lets go" he replied leapt up of the sofa and grabbed his car keys.

We were in Michael's car, it was so dark inside and outside that I couldn't see anything, it was a good job Michael's a vamp; it makes me feel a lot better knowing he's with me. We came to a stop and I got out, it was freezing; I should've put a jumper on! Michael and I walked together down the darkened streets, Shane was probably in some pub or club getting pissed; the good thing was that they're hardly any in Morganville so we didn't have many places to look. I said that we should split up to make it easier to find him but Michael quickly shot that idea down.

We'd been looking for almost an hour now and there was still no sign of him, there was only one place left to look in and I hope he's in there because if he's not then he's probably laying dead in a ditch somewhere! I pulled open the door, the music was deafening and I had to fight the urge to dance because hey we were on a mission. I scanned the room, it was full of college students; most of them were grinding up against one another or the guys were slapping girl's bums. I felt someone grip my bum cheek and I let out a yelp, making Michael go into protective mode. He bared his fangs, god why do boyfriends have to be so protective?

"You feeling up my girlfriend?" he asked as he got all up in his face

"Whoa, I did mean anything by it mate" he said and held his hands up in surrender

"One, I'm not your mate and two, if you ever touch her again or even look at her and I will kill you"

The guy's eyes widened and he nodded his head in response before backing away from us. Does there always have to be drama?

"Why do you always have to do that? You and Shane are so protective and jealous that it drives Claire and me crazy"

"He was touching you up" he replied looking at me with a confused expression

"Yeh, that's college guys for you, it's not as if he was going to rape me and I can protect myself; I don't need my strong, vamp boyfriend killing every guy who so much as looks at me in the wrong way"

"I'm sorry I..."

"Yeh I know, lets just find Shane and get the hell out of here" he nodded and we continued through the crowed of sweaty, horny students. Shane was seated at a table in the far corner, he had three girls surrounding him, one sitting on his lap grinding against him, another with her hands on his pants and the other with her tongue shoved down his throat! This was so typical Shane, he gets angry, and he takes off, gets drunk of his head and ends up screwing anyone he can find. I slipped into the chair opposite him, his eyes were still closed so he didn't see me; he was too busy enjoying being touched up to notice us. I cleared my throat and his eyes flew open. He groaned.

"Go away; I don't wanna speak to you guys"

"Yeh well what a shame because we wanna talk to you don't we Michael?"

"We sure do"

"You can save it because I don't wanna hear anything you have to say"

"It's about Claire"

"I don't give a shit about her"

"Yes you do Shane, we saw how you reacted when she was attacked…hey do you three mind fucking off because we're kinda busy here?" I said turning to the three skanks

"You don't have to leave, ignore her; she's going"

"Um…no I'm not you're gunna listen to what I have to say and you three slag's are gunna fuck off before I either make you or I get my vamp boyfriend here to drain you" I looked over at Michael and he let his fangs drop, growling at them

"So what will it be?" I asked with a huge grin on my face

They all got up and walked away, looking back in case I'd set Michael on them.

"You had no right to do that" Shane moaned and went to get up but I looked at Michael and nodded, he was over at Shane's side in seconds; pushing him back down in the seat.

"Get the fuck off me man"

"No you're gunna listen to what Eve and I have to say, it's about Claire"

"I already said I didn't give a shit about her, she's clearly moved on so now it's my turn"

"Don't be such a dick, you're the one who cheated on her" I cut in

"Yeh and straight after we broke up that slag got with another guy and made a baby so…I don't give a shit anymore"

"Don't call her a slag Shane, she has every right to move on; she found you in bed with another girl! What do you expect her to do? Wait around after you and never move on? Are you that selfish?"

"Just fuck off will you?"

"Nope, you need to know this; once we've told you, you can do whatever you want, get even more off your head and sleep with those three slut's or come home with us so we can sort this out, either way you're gunna listen to what I have to say"

"Fine, tell me and go"

"Ok then, you know Claire was attacked tonight?"

"Yeh, I heard it remember?"

"Yeh well…we got a call from Ryan saying she'd been rushed to hospital later on, he said she was in agony and there was blood…she was rushed in and the doctor took some tests but they don't know what's wrong with her. They both nearly died Shane, Claire could've died" his head snapped to face me

"But she's ok right? Her and the baby are ok?"

"Becky said they weren't sure, for now they're ok but it might not last; they can't do any detailed tests because of the baby but we thought you should know" he nodded

"So are you gunna come home, sober up, so we can sort this out?" I asked him

"Fine" he replied and Michael released his shoulders from his strong grip, Shane rubbed them and stood up, pushing past Michael and out into the street. The car ride home was awkward and silent but at least he was coming home with us.


	28. Chapter 28

Claire's Pov:

I was so tired and my stomach was sore, it hurt when I moved and it hurt when I stayed still, not even the painkillers were strong enough; before I go I was gunna have to ask for stronger ones. They probably won't give them to me because I'm pregnant but it's worth a try. I was alone at last, don't get me wrong; I love all my friends but sometimes I just liked to be alone, I know they're only trying to help but asking me if I'm ok? Or if I have any pains? Every five minutes was really pissing me off. Tomorrow I'd find out if I got the deal and that should make me really happy but it…didn't, I couldn't stop worrying about the babies; I can't believe I'm saying babies! I'm having twins! I couldn't put into words how good it felt when I found out I was pregnant, that's when I thought there was one baby but now there's two! Even though I'm over the moon that I'm having twins there's still a part of me that is still scared, that still thinks I can't do this and now there's not only one baby to look after but two! I have to phone Eve, I dunno if she's told Shane or if he's worked it out but I need to know; I know I shouldn't keep thinking about him but I can't just switch off my feelings, I still love him, I still think about him all the time and I can't help it. I know he probably hates me right now, I don't know why that bothers me so much because he cheated on me! But I do and nothing will change that. I'm also having his children so I'm never going to be able to fully move on and forget him, he'll always hold a special place in my heart, he was my first love, my first real boyfriend, my first time, I married him and now I'm having his babies.

I'm not even gunna be able to get to sleep tonight because I sleep on my front and my stomach hurts too much to even move let alone sleep on. I tried to get to sleep, lying on my back but it was no use, I didn't want to sleep anyway; all I could think about was if Shane knew and did he hate me? I couldn't wait until tomorrow before I phoned Eve, I had to know now. Ryan had left my things by my side so my phone should be there; I slipped of the bed and ignored the horrendous pain that shot through my stomach, I wasn't even fat yet but I already couldn't bend down. I rummaged through my bag and found my mobile right at the bottom; I pulled it out and dialled her number.

_**Eve's Pov: **_

We were all sitting in the living room, talking about Claire.

"Shane we're so sorry we didn't tell you but Claire made us promise and you'd just cheated on her, I hated you and she's my best friend; she needed me to do this for her so I did"

"You still should've told me"

"If you told me something and said not to tell Michael or Claire I wouldn't and you know that because I've done it before. I wasn't gunna break Claire's trust in me because you don't like me keeping secrets from you and to be honest if she asked me to do it all over again and I knew the consequences I would"

"But she's still my wife; you knew how much I love her and you kept something as big as this from me"

"Yeh you love her so much you cheated on her for 3 months"

"That was a mistake and I'd never do it again"

"Yeh that's what you said about Kim and you only kissed her, you had a full on affair with Olivia; you even had sex with her in your bed, where you and Claire slept together"

"Look Shane, Eve and I have apologised; we're truly sorry but put yourself in our shoes, what would you have done? I bet you told Claire to keep secrets from us"

"But that was different, we're married; we're meant to have secrets and keep things from you"

"So are you seriously telling me that if I came to you and I don't know said I'd gotten a girl pregnant before I was turned and I didn't know until yesterday and I begged you not to tell Eve would you?"

"Well…no you're my best mate, its guy code"

"Yeh well that's exactly what it was like for Eve and me"

He didn't say anything.

"You better not have got a girl pregnant before you were turned" I joked

"Of course not, I only had eyes for one girl" he smiled and kissed me

"Yeh that's what Claire thought about Shane too" I sighed and he cupped my face and pulled it towards his, he had a serious expression on his face now

"I promise I didn't get another girl pregnant before I was turned"

"Good" I replied and gave him a quick kiss, as I pulled away he grabbed the back of my neck gently and kissed me again, the kiss was full of passion and hunger and it would've continued further if Shane hadn't have cleared his throat

"I really don't wanna see you guys making out, thanks"

I laughed and flipped him off; I was just about to go in for another kiss when my phone started ringing. I looked a the caller ID ready to reject it but I saw Claire's mobile flash across the screen

"Ignore it" Michael groaned and carried on kissing down my neck

"No it's Claire" his mouth froze on my neck.

"Answer it and put it on speaker phone" I nodded and answered the call, putting it on speaker phone just like he'd said.

"Hello" I asked

"Hey Eve"

"Why are you whispering?" I asked

"Because I'm still in hospital and you're not allowed to use mobiles, I just couldn't wait until tomorrow to speak to you"

"Oh ok go ahead"

"I'm having twins!" she whispered the loudest a whisper could go

"Oh my god CB that's amazing, congratulations"

"Thank you, I'm so happy"

"When did you find out? Becky didn't tell me"

"Yeh she said she didn't in case I wanted to tell you"

"That's great Claire, so how are you feeling?"

"Sore and tired but me and the babies are good and that's the main thing"

"Yeh, so what's happening? Have you had any results back yet? When you going home?"

"Tomorrow, no not yet; he said it would take a week before they came through and I don't know what's happening, they've given me some painkillers but they can't do much without knowing what's wrong"

"You scared us half to death, I nearly had a heart attack when Ryan phoned and said you'd been taken to hospital and then I thought you'd lost the baby and…"

"Yeh about that, does Shane know he's the father?" _**shit! It's on speaker phone!**_ Michael and I looked at Shane, he'd spat his beer out and was staring at us in shock; oh yeh he definitely heard, oh fuck!

"Um…Claire"

"Yeh"

"It's on speaker phone and Shane's in the room, he just heard you"

"No! oh god know…Ahhhhh fuck…Ahhhhh" she screamed

"Claire? What's wrong? Claire!"

"It's nothing…Ahhhhh" she shrieked and I heard beeping sounds coming from the machines.

"Claire!" I yelled down the phone but she wasn't answering, all I could hear were her screams and the machines beeping uncontrollably. Then new voices entered the room, they were all shouting to one another. There was a bang so Claire had probably dropped the phone.

"She's gone into cardiac arrest!" someone shouted

"She's bleeding again, we need to get her into surgery!" another shouted

"There's no time, we'll lose all three of them; we have to do it here"

No one said anything, Shane, Michael and I all looked at each other; Shane was crying and his face was whiter than Michael's.

"Clear!"

"Charging 160!" someone bellowed, we heard Claire's body being shocked and we all flinched

"Clear!"

"Charging 250!"

"No change"

"Come on Claire, don't you die on me!" a woman yelled

I was crying now, I dropped the phone to the floor, I didn't want to have it anywhere near me right now; not when I could hear them on the other end. Michael pulled me into a hug, I tried to cover my ears but I could still here the noise; I wanted to end the call but I knew we couldn't not until we knew if she was going to be alright.

"Clear! Charging 300!"

I lifted my face from Michael's chest, Shane was on the floor with his face in his hands; I could see his shoulders moving up and down slowly so I knew he was crying. Was Claire going to die? Was Shane going to lose his wife and children? We waited for a response…


	29. Chapter 29

Eve's Pov:

Please Claire, don't die, you can't die, we need you…Shane need's you; your babies need you. I was wrapped in Michael's arms on the sofa, Shane was sitting with his back against the wall opposite us, his face a sickly white colour and is eyes reddened from crying; my mobile on the floor in between us. We were waiting for her heart to beat again, but we didn't hear anything…only the shouts from the doctors as they frantically tried to save her. Why was this happening? Why does everything bad happen to Claire? First she gets beaten up by Monica, noticed by the head vampire and then nearly gets killed all the time; Shane cheats on her and she finds out she's gunna have to raise his babies alone, she gets attacked and then rushed to hospital and she and the babies almost die and just when she's ok again…her heart stops beating! I'd do anything just to have her ok, I hate seeing her hurt; I hate seeing her in pain.

"Come on Claire, it's not your time to go yet; not if I can change that. You're gunna be a mum so you need stop being so bloody stubborn and fight! Fight god damn it!" she yelled on the other end of the phone and we heard another shock, I buried my face into Michael's chest trying to block out the sound.

Beep…Beep…Beep…I suddenly heard, my head snapped up, so did Shane's and Michael's; was she ok?

"We have a change! God this one is definitely a fighter, we need to get her down to surgery to stop the bleed and check the twins heartbeats too" the same woman said

There was silence, we could hear Claire being wheeled out; I couldn't believe she nearly died! I picked up my phone and was about to hang up when I heard a mousy voice on the other end, it was a lot easier to understand so this person was probably closer to the phone.

"Hello?" she almost whispered

"Hello" I replied, my voice was croaky from all the crying I had done

"I'm Nurse Greene, who's this?"

"I'm E-Eve, Claire's friend; she phoned me before um…she…um…stopped breathing"

"I'm sorry you had to hear that? You did hear that right?"

"Unfortunately, we should've ended the call but we needed to know if she was going to be alright, she is going to be alright isn't she?"

"Well it's hard to say because of Claire's condition we're unable to do any thorough tests and we haven't had any results back from the ones we've just done, but we'll keep her in, she was meant to leave tomorrow but it looks like she isn't going to be able to"

"So what's going to happen then?" Shane asked from across the room, it was still on speaker phone

"Well, we've given her some painkillers in case she does get anymore pains but there isn't much we can do without knowing what's wrong with her"

I didn't know what to say "…Thank you…for telling us"

"That's ok; I understand how you must feel"

"Yeh sure you do because you've got your wife and children in hospital and you can't see them, you don't know what's wrong with them either!" Shane yelled and hit the wall making me flinch

"Shane!" I shouted "Sorry about that…he's… just upset"

"Don't worry about it and Shane? I do know what it feels like because my husband and daughter have just been in a car accident, I didn't know whether they were going to pull through and I was so scared…thankfully they did but yeh…I know what it feels like"

Oh god! Shane can so put his foot in it sometimes

"I'm so sorry"

"It's ok" she replied, her voice had changed and it sounded as if she was fighting back tears

"Um…would you also be able to tell Claire to phone us as soon as possible please"

"Of course"

"Thank you" I muttered and hung up

I looked at Shane, giving him a concerned but angry look

"Well done Shane, take it out on the nurse!"

"Oh shut up! Don't tell me what I can and cannot do, I've just found out that they're my babies and you helped her take them away from me! My own friends, so no Eve I don't give a shit if I upset the nurse because right now I don't give a fuck about how anyone else feels!" he screamed at me, at some point he'd made his way across the room and was right up in my face; I didn't know why but I was shaking, but Shane wouldn't hit me, would he?

"Shane, calm down" I whispered

"Fucking stop telling me what to do! I hate the both of you, how can you do this to me? I might have cheated on Claire but I don't deserve to lose my babies!" he yelled, I now had my back up against the wall, he was blocking off any chance I had to escape; his fists balled up. He lifted his fist high and slammed it in my direction, I closed my eyes and screamed thinking he was about to hit me but he didn't; he hit the next to my head with an ear splitting crunch. Then Michael got involved

"Stop!" he growled and yanked him away from me, he flew backwards into the opposite wall; his head crashed straight into it and I screamed. Michael's eyes widened, he hadn't meant to throw him that hard; he ran vampire speed over to him. There was blood on the floor, Shane didn't respond; he wasn't moving. _**Oh please no! Not Shane as well **_

"Shane? Are you ok? I'm so sorry" Michael whispered shaking him, his eyes flew open

"Get the fuck off of me" Shane growled at him, Michael juts sat there. Shane pushed him

"I said get the fuck off me!"

"Shane…I'm sorry I thought you were gunna hit her…"

He got to his feet and nearly collapsed to the floor again, Michael tried to steady him but Shane batted his hand away and glared at him; he put a hand to his head. When he brought it back down to look at it, it was covered in blood! Uh oh, Shane stuck it out towards Michael, I could see Michael's eyes change; they glowed red.

"Go on vamp, have a taste; you know you want to!" Shane said and Michael looked away

"No seriously go on!" he shouted and pushed his hand closer to Michael's mouth

"No!" Michael roared

"Why not? I'm offering, you might as well its only gunna be offered once; hey you could even completely drain me if you want because right now I don't even care"

What the hell was Shane saying?

"I said no Shane!" Michael repeated

"Please" Shane whispered and we all stared at him

"What?" Michael asked "Why?" he looked at Shane with a confused expression on his face, if I had a mirror and was looking at my reflection it would probably mirror Michael's, what the hell was Shane doing?

"Please, just kill me; I can't do this…I can't live without her…without my babies; please just kill me!" he yelled the last bit

"Shane…"

"Please, god damn it; please Mikey I'm begging you just kill me!" he screamed, I was crying; Shane wanted to die? God this was really hurting him

"Please Michael, I don't want to feel like this…please just kill me" he whispered and burst into tears. I'd never seen Shane cry this much before, yeh he cried nearly every time Claire was hurt but he'd never show us; he normally locked himself in his bedroom, but this time it was like he didn't care…like he was giving up. Michael pulled him into a hug, Shane carried on crying on his shoulder; this hug wasn't like their normal hug either, there was no back slapping trying to look manly; it was like something Claire and I would do. I couldn't understand how Michael could restrain himself, Shane's head was gushing and it didn't seem to bother him.

"Please…" he choked out

"You don't want this mate, it hurts now; but it'll get better"

"Please…" he cried out again, they sat there like that for another few minutes before I took Shane into the kitchen to get cleaned up; Shane wouldn't speak, his face contorted in pain, staring into space.

"I'm sorry…for scaring you" he whispered

"That's ok, you're hurting"

"That's not an excuse"

"Don't worry about it, it's forgotten"

Once I had him cleaned up, he made his way up to his room; he didn't even slam it closed, that was his signature move, always being so dramatic, he always slammed his bedroom door when he was angry or upset but not this time…he must be really…upset. Did he actually mean it? Did he really want Michael to kill himself?


	30. Chapter 30

Ryan's Pov:

I shouldn't have left her; I should've been there to protect her! I was in her room sitting on her bed, remembering the night she first came here, the night we had sex; the time she straddled me…how could everything change in a matter of hours? It was only a couple of hours ago we were making out on her bed, me wanting it to go further but being interrupted by her running to the bathroom the be sick and now I get a phone call saying she was just taken into surgery after going into cardiac arrest! The nurse had said she'd been on the phone to her friends at the time, I bet they'd gotten her all worked up; if it was this Shane person then I swear to god I was gunna kill him! He's already caused her so much pain; does he really hate her that much that he would make her suffer like that? I don't know what she ever saw in him, he sounds like a right douche to me! If I had lived in Morganville with them and Claire had come to me and told me what he'd done I would've killed him…no exaggeration, I would've inflicted so much pain on him that he would've wished he'd never been born; so he'd wished he'd never met Claire, I'd make him suffer and then kill him in the slowest way possible, making sure he begged me to kill him quickly. I'd make sure no one found his body; destroy everything that belonged to him; like he didn't even exist. I didn't cry that much, I was one of those guys who hid there feelings; a proper jerk, I'd rather sleep with a girl than take them on a date but with Claire everything changed. I wasn't sure if it was because I'd known her since she was a baby, no it couldn't have been that because I'd always been different when it came to Claire; I was protective…calm. I'd find myself thinking about her, about her smile and her eyes not her body or her boobs like I would with most girls, not that Claire didn't have a great body and great boobs it was just there was a lot more to Claire that I liked than just her physical appearance. My chest would ache when she walked into the room, her smile would warm my insides and here I am crying, me Ryan Smith; captain of the football team, the guy who could bag any girl he wanted, single or not, was crying! Because of a girl! Well Claire was different from most girls, the only other time I'd really cried was when my mum and brother died; everyone had seen me and I didn't even care, I mean come on, if your mum and brother had just died you were obviously gunna grieve for them, you were gunna cry; it was normal. We'd all cried when Claire was taken into hospital, Becky had started crying as soon as she'd entered the bathroom, me, I'd started crying when the doctors told me she was having twins; I dunno if that was because I was happy she was having twins or because there were three of them to protect and it was gunna make everything harder if she lost one of them. Another thing about my relationship with Claire, I don't even care she's pregnant with another guys children; I know that I'm still falling for her and I'll be there for her for as long as she needs me, I'd even be the father of her children…that's if she wants me. I was so shocked when I first had that thought and if I told any of my friends they would probably think that I'd either been drugged or had my head smashed in because I always said that I'd never have children and settle down, I just couldn't see myself being a dad…well maybe once when I was with Trisha. I loved her so much and I even wanted to propose to her, that's when I was the soft, sensitive Ryan; but she knocked me back and I stopped believing in love, stopped treating girls with respect and became a guy who didn't give a shit about anything, who did what pleased him…and I think I'm changing again…all for Claire. What if she rejects me? What if she doesn't want to get serious? She's only just come out of a serious relationship…a marriage; should I really be rushing into things? Should I really ask her? Is it the right time? With everything happening with her, the babies, the music deal (maybe?) should I be putting more pressure on her?

I'd been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed Becky standing in front of me, a worried expression on her face; oh god! Was something wrong with Claire and the twins? I sprung up from my lying position and grabbed her hands.

"What! What's wrong? Is it Claire? The twins?" I asked anxiously

"No it's not them…"

"Then why do you look worried?" I asked with a sigh, Claire and the twins were ok…for now.

"Because I've been standing here for the past 3 minutes calling your name and you haven't replied, what's wrong?" she asked

"Oh nothing…I...err…was just thinking about Claire…and the twins" I whispered and looked down, hoping she hadn't heard me…but she did, and she sat down on the bed.

"What about them?" she said curiously, I knew she'd heard; great, now I have to tell her and admit how much I like Claire and how soppy I've got…or I could think of something smart to say…I thought for a minute…what the hell am I doing? I'm not smart enough to think of a lie on the spot like that…I'm no Claire…Claire. I sighed and looked up at Becky who was waiting for an answer.

"Fine I'll tell you but if you tell anyone what I said I will kill you ok?"

"Ok just tell me"

"I was thinking about how much I like Claire and how I'd be there for her and the twins…ok? So now you know, now you can laugh at how soppy I've got"

"Hey why would I laugh? You're talking about my cousin so I'm happy if you feel like that, Claire deserves it…she needs it and who cares if you've got soppy; I think it's nice"

"You still can't…."

"Yeh I know I won't tell anyone"

I smiled "Thanks"

"No problem, now come downstairs, dinner will be ready soon and we're watching a film" he said excitedly

"What film?" I asked already knowing the answer, if Becky was choosing it would probably be her favourite film; either the last song or toy story, my guess is the last song because we watched toy story last time

"The last song" I knew it

"Great, because I'm in the mood to watch a sad film right now…" I groaned

"Oh get over it and if you're good you can choose the next film"

"Fine but you can't stop me if I choose something gory"

"Urgh you're such a boy!" she moaned

"I should hope so" I replied and she laughed and we went downstairs to the others. Dinner was good, I hadn't eaten in a while so I scoffed it down; I wonder how Claire was doing. She'd gone into surgery last night and the nurse had said it was best to give her some time to rest so I wasn't allowed to go and see her until later tonight. I guess that was another reason why I ate my dinner so quickly so I could go and see Claire, I had to see her; I'd only been away from her nearly a day and I already hated it, what if she had something seriously wrong with her? I wouldn't be able to handle being away from her for so long. It was my night to do the dishes as Lucy happily reminded me so I wasn't gunna be able to make the speedy escape that I wanted too. I'd already finished cleaning all the saucepans as well as my plate before they had even finished there's so I was gunna have to wait even longer.

"Someone's in a hurry" Jack said

"Yeh he's going to see Claire" Becky replied

"He is?"

"Yeh I am so if you all want to hurry up that would be lovely"

"Patience is a virtue "Aidan laughed, god were they deliberately doing this?

"Look I'm going down there now so I'll finish the dishes later ok?" I said and was about to leave the kitchen

"Hey wait I wanna come too" Becky shouted

"Can't you just meet me there?" I asked

"No, just wait another 5 minutes and I'll be ready"

"But…"

"She's not going anywhere Ryan just chill ok?"

"Fine I'll give you 5 minutes and no more"

"Thank you"

I took my seat at the table again, tapping my fingers on the corner as I waited for her to finish; I hadn't realised she was such a slow eater until now but that could be down to me being in a rush or her deliberately going slow. She soon picked up on my eagerness to get there so she chucked the rest in the bin and we were off. They'd all told us to give her their love and said they'd be down later.

"God you so owe me some food when we get there" she moaned

"Ok whatever" I said

"And you stopped me from watching the last song" she complained

"Well no one wanted to watch a sad film anyway, not with Claire in hospital and you can watch it later"

"You know they won't let me watch it later because it's my fault I missed my turn…well actually it's your fault"

"Nope I said you could've come down later with the others but you had to come now so you can't moan at me"

She didn't speak after that thank god, I so wasn't in the mood to talk right now; all I wanted to do was see Claire's face…her beautiful face. I almost ran to her room, Becky was laughing at me but I couldn't be bothered to insult her. I pushed open the door a bit too loudly and Claire woke up, _**shit I woke her up; well done Ryan!**_

"Hey" she croaked

"Hey, how are you doing?"

"Sore, tired"

"I'm sorry I woke you up"

"Don't worry my phone's been going off every 5 minutes, Shane's trying to speak to me…he kinda found out he was the father last night"

"So that's why you got all worked up last night" I almost growled, clenching my fists in anger

"Yeh"

"God I'll kill him"

"No he didn't say anything, I let slip not thinking about it being on speaker phone and he heard"

"Yeh but he's annoying you now though"

"Wouldn't you if you just found out your wife, ex-wife was having your babies?"

"Yeh but you're in hospital. He should leave you alone"

"No he has a right to be curious; I'm just not in the mood to talk to him"

"Have you spoken to any of them?"

"No, I can't" she muttered and closed her eyes

"Oh, ok"

Her phone rang again and I could see her expression change…it was Shane. It's time to set him straight. I got up and took the phone out of her hands and before she could stop me I answered it.


	31. Chapter 31

Shane's Pov:

God she wasn't answering my calls! I've phoned her like 20 times already, I need to speak to her; they're my babies too and I want to be in their lives, I have too…they're the only family I have left! I can't believe she kept this from me, I can't believe she got Michael and Eve to lie about it; I bet even Oliver knew she was pregnant! I didn't even know what was wrong with her, I had the right to know; they're my babies and if there's something wrong with her that could affect them I needed to know. Eve said that she'd try and get her to talk to me but Claire's not even answering her calls and that makes me angry because 1) we need to know what's happening and 2) Eve hasn't done anything wrong, both times she was the one who let slip, Eve and Michael both kept quiet as promised so she shouldn't ignore her like that; Eve's really sensitive when it comes to Claire. We were all sitting in the living room, Michael was playing the guitar and Eve was laying on the sofa with her feet on my legs; we both had our phones in our hands just in case Claire decided to return our calls.

"Guys put your phones down already, Claire will phone when she wants too"

"Shut up man, just go back to playing your guitar" I replied

"Oooh touchy" he mocked

"Shut up man, you loser"

"Whatever, just stop, it's obvious she's not answering your calls and I'm getting really annoyed at the two of you moaning every time she doesn't answer your bloody calls"

"Just because you're not concerned like the rest of us, it doesn't mean we aren't" Eve cut it, sometimes I wonder why I love that girl but it's times like these I realise why.

"Eve, I am concerned…I...fine ignore me you just hold your phones like crazy people I'll practise my guitar in my room" he said and zoomed upstairs

"And you say I'm dramatic" I laughed, Eve did too and hit me

"You are dramatic, really dramatic"

"I'm not the one storming off" I pointed out

"No but you were the one who stormed out the other night, got pissed and then asked Michael to suck you dry" she noted, the words made my body tense up, remembering what I did last night was gunna make me flinch every time I thought about it

"We said we'd never mention that again" I growled

"Oooh touchy" she copied Michael knowing it would annoy me "Ok, ok I'm sorry but you have to admit it was pretty funny"

"No it's not…Oh god my phones ringing" I looked at my phone, it wasn't Claire; it was Rad

"Hello" I said as I answered it

"Hey mate its Rad"

"Yeh I know I have caller ID" I replied glumly, wanting to end this call just in case she phoned. He laughed.

"So, are you coming out tonight? I think Sarah might be there and if not Francesca will be there and I know she likes you"

"Um…not tonight mate"

"Ah come on, I know you and Claire haven't been separated for long but you need to move on; you've already said that she has" as soon as I heard her name my mind switched off I hadn't heard the last part of what he was saying, my heart ached.

"Look mate I'm sorry I have things to deal with"

"Like what?"

"I need to speak to Claire" my heart fluttered

"Oh come on man, you seriously gotta move on; what is there to say to her? You cheated, she's moved on; now it's your turn, just come out with us tonight"

"I said no mate; I really have to talk to her"

"And say what exactly?"

"It doesn't matter"

"Yeh it does, just tell me what you need to say to her and if it's so important then I'll hang up" god maybe the only way to get rid of him was to tell him the truth, was I ready for everyone to know the truth?

"I...she's pregnant"

"Shit! She's only been with this Ryan dude for all of 5 minutes and she's already knocked up, if you wanna know what I think, I think you should come out tonight and move on"

"…I'm the dad"

"What!"

"Yeh I know, she found out before she left and was gunna tell me the day she caught me with Olivia"

"Oh…"

"Yeh I know"

"So when did she tell you?"

"She told me by accident, last night; she was on the phone to Eve and it was on speaker phone and she asked if I knew if I was the father not realising that I was listening or that it was even on speaker phone and there's been so much more going on that I can't really explain over the phone so we'll have to go out for a beer or something but I really need to speak to her. She was taken into hospital last night, I need to know if the twins are ok" I chocked out the last bit

"Twins? Oh man congrats"

"Yeh thanks, look I have to go and phone her but I'll speak to you soon ok?"

"Yeh sure man, you just…speak to Claire and send her my love; if she actually picks up the phone"

"Yeh, bye" I said

"Bye" he replied and I hung up, tears were rolling down my cheeks; Eve had sat up at some point and was looking at me. She pulled me into a hug and I relaxed against her shoulder

"Hey shhh its gunna be ok" she said

"How Eve? She won't answer my calls, she was rushed into hospital last night and I might never get to see my babies"

"You will" I knew I probably wouldn't but I didn't have the energy to argue with Eve right now. I looked down at my phone and scrolled down my contacts, I clicked on Claire's name again and pressed the green phone, I so hope she picks up. It was ringing, it had already been three rings; normally she'd reject by the first or if I was lucky maybe even the second. Oh my god she was answering.

"She's answering" I shouted

"Put it on loud speaker" Eve shrieked

"No I need to speak to her in private" I replied and put the phone to my ear

"Hello?" I asked nervously

"Hey mate this is Ryan, do you wanna fuck off and leave my girlfriend alone!" he shouted

"Excuse me" I replied in a shocked voice

"I said leave my fucking girlfriend alone!" I heard another voice in the background 'Ryan please stop it' it was Claire

"Don't tell me what to fucking do mate, she's still my wife and those are_ our _children, don't think you can replace me; you'll never be their dad!" I shouted back, Michael had come downstairs, he'd obviously heard me shouting or even Ryan on the other end; Eve had moved closer to me.

"I'll be more of a dad than you will, you don't even know where she is; I'll see her give birth and I'll be their dad"

I was getting really angry now; I stood up and walked over to the wall punching it continuously until my knuckles were bloody.

"Shane calm down, what's wrong?" Eve asked me but I ignored her

"You fucking dare and I swear to god I will hunt you down and kill you!" I almost screamed

"Ah poor Shane, what does it feel like to know your wife is having sex with another guy? And your children will grow up calling me daddy"

"You fucking bastard! You are so dead, you so much as touch her again and I will cause you so much pain that you will be begging to die!"

'Ryan stop, I never said that; stop now!' Claire yelled making me smile

"See you'll never be their dad, she doesn't want you!"

"Oh I will, and if not at least I'll see them grow up, you're never even gunna meet them how do you feel about that?"

"You stupid dickhead"

"You caused Claire so much pain Shane! You cheated on her more than once and then you got her all upset last night, she could've fucking died"

"You know nothing about what happened between Claire and me so keep your bloody nose out of our business!"

"Did I touch a nerve Shane?"

"I swear…"

"Leave my girlfriend alone, she doesn't want to talk to you; to any of you!"

"I'm gunna fucking kill you!" I yelled and the phone went dead

"Fuck!" I shouted and hit the wall repeatedly until Michael stopped me

"Shane what is it? What happened?"

"That bastard!" I shouted ignoring his questions

"Who?"

"Ryan, he said he was gunna be their dad, that I'd never see them; how it was my fault she was in hospital…how he'd had sex with her!" I growled the last bit in anger

"Shane calm down, start from the beginning" Eve said gently putting a hand on my arm

"No, I need to do something"

"Shane…what sort of something?" she asked

"Nothing for you to worry about"

"It is if you go and get yourself killed!"

"Look I'll talk to you later" I said and walked towards the door

"Shane, come back…Michael! Stop him before he does something stupid!" Eve shouted behind me, I could hear her loud boots stomping behind me; getting closer. I sped up and was out of the house before she could reach me. I walked down the darkened street, something you shouldn't do in Morganville but I had to, I had to do something; anything. I'd be ok, I had the pin; no one would hurt me…right? I thought to myself but was unsure of the answer; Claire was always getting herself into trouble; even when she had Amelie's protection….Amelie. That's it! I have to go see Amelie, how the hell do I find her? Why is it that the one person I really need the find is impossible to reach unless you're a vamp or…Claire. My heart ached again. I was gunna find Amelie, even if it killed me.


	32. Chapter 32

Shane's Pov:

I had a plan, I was going to speak to Amelie and ask her to allow me to leave Morganville, and if not I'd leave anyway; I had to see Claire. I'd have to wait until Michael and Eve were asleep, that way I could sneak Michael's phone and send Amelie a message; she'd come if he told her too, she always does. Fuck it was only 8pm, they wouldn't be asleep for hours yet; that's if they don't wait up for me to get back, which I hope they don't. What was I gunna do until then? I suppose I could go see Rad, he's out tonight and he wanted me to come anyway; all I need to know is where he was? I pulled out my phone and rang him.

"Hello?"

"Hey Rad, its Shane; where are you?"

"Oh I'm at the Urban club, why? Where are you?"

"Um…I decided that I'm coming out, I'll see you in a bit mate"

"Cool, I'll get you a beer in"

"Cheers, bye" I finished and hung up

I made my way over to the Urban club, I knew it well; that's where I used to go to pick up all my girls. I haven't been there in ages, not single anyway; I mean ever since I started going out with Claire I didn't need to go, the only times I did were when we'd had a fight and I needed to get pissed and forget whatever stupid thing I'd said or done to her. Trust Rad to pick this place, he probably thought if I knew which club it was that I'd come. To my surprise there weren't many people or vampires on the street, which I suppose was good for me because I didn't want to become a walking meal. I was walking in silence, thinking about Claire and the twins until I turned down the street the club was on; the music was so loud, it always was. You could hear it from nearly two blocks away; I was shocked that there hadn't been any complaints because there were a few houses nearby; if it was me I would've got pissed off by now and gone into the club and smashed the music system up. I pulled open the door and quickly scanned the room for Rad, it didn't take long for me to notice him; it wasn't just because he was sitting in our usual self but because he was one hench dude, you'd probably be able to see him in a crowd at a football stadium he was that big. One thing I know for sure is that I definitely wouldn't want to get in a fight with him, I mean it wasn't like I hadn't already but that was in high school when he was a lot smaller, emphasis on the a lot part; he was quite small back then. If you'd see a photo of him at school and him now you wouldn't think they were the same person. I made my way over to the table, I noticed Ben and John but I didn't know the other two guys; I recognised a girl but I couldn't remember her name, it was Tracey maybe? Sarah was there too, I liked her; I think I could love her in time but I'd never get over Claire, it would never be the same.

"Hey Shane!" Rad shouted bringing me back to reality

"Hey" I said and took a seat, Sarah looked at me and smiled

"You remember Stacey don't you?" I was close

"Yeh"

"And Sarah?"

"Yeh I remember her too" I smiled at her

"Hey, we need to have another zombie killing match because that was fun"

"Defo" I replied and smiled "Although before we do, you should really get some more practise"

She laughed and flipped me off "Shut it Collins I'm just as good as you, maybe even better"

"Keep dreaming" I said, it felt good to be here; I could forget all my pain and heartache when I was with Sarah but then Rad snapped me out of it

"So, have you spoken to Claire yet?" he asked

"Um…well she's not answering my calls but I did speak to Ryan though, the stupid bastard really pissed me off"

"Oh…what happened?"

"He was just saying shit about me never gunna be able to see them and that they'd grow up calling him daddy" I tried to look as if it didn't bother me but it so did

"What a fucking douche, he has no right to say that; what did Claire say?"

"Well I heard her in the background and she wasn't happy about it but she didn't speak to me"

"Mate I know you love her and everything but I have to say she's being an absolute bitch about this" I hated hearing bad things about Claire

"I deserve it, I cheated on her; she has every right to be a bitch to me"

"Yeh and what about the twins? Do they deserve to be away from their father?"

He had a point.

"No but…"

"Then what you gunna do?"

"I have a plan"

"Well if you need any help, count me in; I know what it's like growing up without a dad, it aint fun" Rad's dad ran off and left him when he was just 4 years old, he left them for a fucking vamp, why would you do that? Leave your wife and son for someone who's dead? His mum was way hotter than the vamp too; anyway Rad was bullied because of it, that's how we became friends.

"Thanks mate I appreciate it"

"No problem, so how do feel about becoming a dad?" it sounded funny when someone said me and dad in the same sentence but I liked it; it made me feel good.

"I dunno, I feel happy and excited but then I realise that I may never get to meet them"

"You will, I'll help you if I have too, those kids are gunna have a dad"

I smiled and looked away.

"So, you gunna get smashed?"

"I dunno about that, I need to be able to do my plan but I'll have a couple"

"That's what I'm talking about, my round guys so I'll be right back; you want a beer right Shane?"

"Yeh please"

He left with one of the guys I didn't know, Sarah was looking at me weirdly.

"Yes?" I asked

"I think congratulations are in order" she gave me a smile but somehow I didn't think it was genuine

"Um…thanks"

"So…what's gunna happen then…with the twins I mean?" I looked away from her, away from those eyes.

"Well I'm gunna try and see Claire, make her talk to me; I want to be in their lives and I'll do anything to get that" I finished and finally looked into those deep blue eyes

"I think that's really sweet" she admitted and took a sip of her drink. The night dragged on slowly, Michael and Eve and phoned so many times that I'd lost count; they finally gave up after I didn't answer them, I couldn't be bothered with the arguments or Eve trying to make me feel better, I just didn't want to talk about it. Most of the people I was with were pissed, including Sarah; now I had three options 1) phone her brother to come pick her up, 2) take her back to her house even though I didn't know where she lived or 3) take her back to my house; I think I'd best do number 1 and 2, I have stuff to do tonight and I don't want her waking up in a place she doesn't recognise.

"Hey Sarah can I use your phone please?" I asked

"Of course you can sexy, I'll be right back I need another drink"

"Um…I don't think that would be wise, I think you've had enough don't you?"

"Nope" she giggled and went to stand up, she staggered forward and she would've dropped to the floor if it wasn't for me catching her.

"Ok I think it's time to take you home"

"Only if you come with me" she laughed

I flipped open her phone and scrolled through her contacts…what was his name? She told us the other day…god what was it? Dylan that's it! I waited as it rang, I was still holding onto Sarah; I wasn't quite sure if she was awake or asleep at the moment so I thought I'd better not let go just in case.

"Hello? Sarah where the hell are you? I thought you'd become vamp dinner!" the voice asked in a panicked tone

"Hey is this Dylan?"

"Yeh and who's this? Where's my sister?"

"I'm Shane, I um…Sarah's with me and she's had too much to drink"

"Fucking hell, she always does this; ok tell me where you are and I'll come meet you"

"No it's fine, you tell me the address and I'll bring her; there's no point you coming out and risk becoming vamp food"

"Oh um…ok…are you sure?"

"Positive"

"Ok its number 512 Luck Street, do you know it?"

"Yep, I'll be there soon"

"Ok and thanks"

"No problem"

I hung up and slipped her phone back into her bag, I picked up her jacket and shoes and put my other hand around her waist; ready to leave.

"Ah mate you already going?" Rad moaned, he was totally pissed

"Yeh I gotta get Sarah back, she's completely out of it and I can't leave her; you never no what vamp's out there"

"Oh…yeh…of course, you take her back and we'll arrange to go out again soon"

"Yeh sure" I replied and turned to leave

"Oh and Shane, remember what I said; if you need any help I'm here, just give me a call"

"Will do"

Sarah was falling in and out of consciousness, so it made it hard for her to walk.

"Shane, come back to my place with me"

"You're drunk, that wouldn't be the best thing right now"

"Please…I don't want to be alone"

"You won't be, you have Dylan"

"Please…" she said and kissed me, I didn't want to break apart for some reason but I knew if I didn't we'd end up in bed together and she was in no fit state to do that; even if she begged me, I'm not the guy who would take advantage of a drunk girl; well unless I was off my head too.

"Why? What's wrong with me? I never get anyone nice…" she was crying

I stopped at the corner and turned her so she was facing me; I cupped her face with my hands

"Hey, I like you but you're drunk and I'm not taking advantage of you"

"You do?" she was shocked, I don't know why because she was pretty and we had so much in common

"Yes" I replied and kissed her, when I pulled away from her I laughed at her expression; she seemed dazed. She suddenly went limp again; I lifted her into my arms like I did to Claire after our wedding and carried her down the dark streets; always looking behind me in case of any vamps hiding in the darkness. I turned down Luck Street and searched for number 512, it was right at the end; I struggled to knock on the door as I still had her in my arms but I just managed. Jesus her brother was huge for his age.

"Hey, thanks, its Shane right?"

"Yeh and no problem, do you want me to take her in; saves waking her up?"

"Yeh sure"

I stepped into the house, it was nice and warm; very cosy, it reminded me of the glass house.

"Um…where do you want me to put her?"

"Oh upstairs, second door on the left"

I nodded and made my way upstairs to her bedroom, I laid her down on her bed and pulled the covers over her; her eyes popped open and she pulled me on top of her, her lips crushing against mine hungrily.

"Stop, Sarah you're drunk" I pulled away and got up off of the bed

"I'm sorry" she mumbled, her words hard to understand because of all the alcohol she's had

"Don't worry about it, get some sleep and I'll call you"

"Yeh?"

"Yeh"

She rolled over and closed her eyes; I bent down and kissed her forehead before leaving the room. Dylan was sitting on the arm of the sofa when I got down stairs.

"Hey, thanks for bringing her home man; most guys wouldn't have, they'd either leave her to become a vamp chew toy or rape her"

"Yeh well Sarah's a friend, she's been there for me when I needed her so I guess it was my turn to be there for her. Anyway I best be off, I don't wanna be out in the dark"

"Yeh, thanks again"

I nodded and left the house, when did it get so cold? I looked at my watch, it was 1 am; they should be in bed by now, I hope they're in bed. I made my way back over to the glass house, quickening my pace so that I'd be there quicker; I unlocked the door slowly and quietly. It creaked as I pushed it open, the whole house was in darkness; thank god. I switched on the lights and looked around the room for Michael's phone, I so hope it's not with him in his room because I know I won't be able to sneak past him, what with his vampire senses. Yes! Behind the sofa, that isn't like Michael, its more like something I would do, it's almost as if he knew what I wanted to do. I clicked on Amelie's name and sent her the message.

_**Hello, I need you to come to the glass house A.S.A.P **_

Wait Amelie's like 900 years old she's not going to understand what A.S.A.P means

_**Hello, I need you to come to the glass house as soon as possible; it's urgent. Michael.**_

I so hope this works, I need this to work; all I have to do is…wait. Ding! His mobile sounded, was this her?

_**Very well Michael, I'll give you 5 minutes and no more. Amelie.**_

Yes! I never thought my plan would work but hey, Shane does something right for once.


	33. Chapter 33

Shane's Pov:

I was sitting on the sofa waiting for Amelie to arrive; unfortunately I don't have that weird sense thing Claire has that allows her to know when someone's coming through the portal, I only realised because I heard someone clear their throat. I spun around and there stood the ice queen.

"Mr Collins, where's Michael?" she asked in her cold, superior, bitch voice

"He's in bed" I replied, she looked at me, her eyebrows furrowed

"I'm not sure I follow, Michael sent me a text message asking me to come and see him; he said it was urgent"

"Yeh…about that, I was the one who sent you that message"

"Oh…but why?"

"Because I knew if I asked you to come you probably wouldn't but seeing as Michael is one of your vampire creations I knew you'd come if he'd asked. However, if I asked Michael to ask you to come he probably wouldn't because he has to do everything you say"

"I see, what is it you want Mr Collins?"

"I want to leave Morganville; I need to see Claire, to talk about our babies"

"You know?" she whispered

"Yeh, an amazing creation speaker phone; it was totally by accident, she just let slip and I was in the room"

"I'm sorry Mr Collins but that is out of the question"

"I don't care if it's out of the question I have to see her; I will see her" I growled

"Don't talk to me like that" she snapped "I could kill you like that" she said and clicked her fingers

"Let me leave"

"I'm sorry but I can't do that"

"Why not? I've helped protect this shitty town too, I helped stop Bishop; I've helped do a lot of things. The least you can do is let me leave"

"I believe Claire was the one to stop bishop and all the other things you've listed, you just helped because Claire was involved and you wanted to protect her"

"Like that matters, I still helped"

"Yes well that doesn't matter, I still won't allow you to leave"

"Why?"

"Because Claire is like a daughter to me, _she's_ done so much for this town, _she_ helped find the cure for my people and _she_ doesn't want to speak or see you. _She _told me before _she_ left and I will respect her wishes"

"They're my children too; I have a right to see them; to know what's happening. Did you know that she was taken into hospital? Or that she went into cardiac arrest? That they don't know what's wrong with her and that my babies could die at any minute and I wouldn't know?"

"Yes I am aware; I have my people watching over her"

"Oh you do, so where were your people when she was being attacked outside a club huh?"

"I don't see how that is any of your business"

"It's my business because _she's_ still my wife and _she's_ carrying my children and I still love her" I found it quite fun emphasising the word she; now I understand why she said it so much.

"You lost any right the moment you had sexual intercourse with that very distasteful…woman"

This conversation was so embarrassing, I never ever want to hear Amelie talk about sex; it just makes me cringe…and blush.

"I made a mistake and I've been paying for it ever since, you may be the queen bitch of this town but you have no right telling me what I can and cannot do when my family is involved"

"Oh Claire's your family is she? I thought she wants a divorce"

"Well we aren't yet and even if we do get a divorce they will still be my children…my family"

"The answer is still no"

"Yeh well you can't stop me…I just thought I'd be polite" I grinned and evil grin

"You will not disobey me boy!" she shouted and threw me across the room, before I could hit the wall she'd rushed vamp speed over to me; grabbing me by the neck and holding me in the air , my back against the wall. Her pearly white fangs were centimetres away from my neck, I could feel her ice cold breath against my skin making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and sending a shiver down my spine. My heart was racing and she could tell because she smiled, oh my god was she going to lick me? She was…she is…that's the most the disgusting thing that's ever happened to me, even worse than the time I saw Michael naked…ok not an image I wanted to remember…think of Claire, think of Claire…ah perfect, having a picture of Claire naked in my head always makes things better…she's still licking me! I pushed her away

"Get the fuck off me you stupid bloodsucker, queen bitch or not; don't you ever do that again!"

"I can do what I want, like I said before I can kill you like that" she clicked her fingers again

I was shaking, I always do this when a vamp tries to do stuff like this; I was the same when Ysandre kissed me.

"I said don't fucking do that again!" I yelled and went to get a stake

"Now, now Shane don't do anything stupid; my guards are here, you try anything and you die"

Ok this plan wasn't working anymore…I guess I was just gunna have to beg.

"Please" I whispered, I could feel the tears at the edge of my eyes ready to break free but I quickly wiped them away

"I'll do anything, just let me leave; let me see her and then when I come back you can do anything you want, I'll even become a bloodsucker…"

"No Shane, don't!" Michael said from the stairs, Eve was standing in front of him in his shirt; I'm guessing they'd got up to some funny business.

"Michael go away, this has nothing to do with you"

"Yes it does, you don't want this; you hate vampires, it'll kill you"

"I don't care I need to see her, I'll do anything…even…that"

"I see…" Amelie said

"No! You can't change him, he's not thinking straight; he's been drinking" Michael almost shouted as he ran down the stairs and pulled me away from her

"I'm fine…just please let me see her"

"Ma'am I'm sorry to interrupt but I agree, Shane isn't thinking straight, he's depressed; he has been ever since she left, I'm sure you already know he tried to kill himself right? And then the other day he wanted Michael to suck him dry because he couldn't handle being away from her…just please don't do what he asks" Eve begged

"Shut up Eve, it's my choice" I mumbled "Please…I'm begging you"

Amelie didn't say anything, she just stood there; thinking.

"I'm sorry Shane but it's still a no, I see how this is hurting you and I understand but Claire doesn't want to see you…"

"How the hell do you understand? You're nothing but a cold, heartless bitch! You pushed Sam away and he's dead, he died for you; you haven't got any children and you don't care about anyone…you no nothing about how I feel!" I screamed and her face changed, her eyes burned a blood red

"You dare bring Sam into this! You can insult me all you want but you don't get to talk about Sam!" she roared and lunged for me, she tossed me across the room like a rag doll; thank god Michael was also a vampire because if he hadn't have caught me I would probably me dead right now. He put me behind him, getting in between me and Amelie.

"Michael move!" she ordered, I could see him fighting to stay where he was; he had that special bond with her because she changed him but he stayed where he was.

"No!" he choked out

"I said move!"

"No! Amelie stop! Do you think Sam would want this, you hurting someone because they said something to offend you? He's hurting just like you did when Sam died"

"Michael…" she started

"Do you think he would want you hurting his grandson?"

I could see her thinking about this

"Stop Amelie"

She did, recoiling from her crouch.

"I must leave" she murmured

Before I could even blink she was already gone, through the portal; I wasn't allowed to leave. I was breathing hard, Eve was shaking on the stairs; tear marks visible on her cheeks, Michael was looking at the empty space she was just in. I patted his shoulder and he turned and batted me away.

"Shane, you could've gotten killed; do you not understand? What the hell were you doing? Asking to become a vampire?"

"I would've done if it meant being able to leave Morganville to see her, I don't expect you to understand Michael; you have the love of your life right behind you, mine's miles away with another guy and is pregnant with my children. I'd do and give anything to be with her"

"So you'd become something you hate…you'd become a vampire"

"I'd do anything" I mumbled

"You don't want this life Shane, if I could go back I would; at the time I thought I was doing the right thing, you were locked up and my girlfriend and one of my best friends were nearly killed right before my eyes and I couldn't do anything to help them, but I miss out big time. I can't take Eve out for lunch without having to go through an underground tunnel first, I can't go to the beach or on holiday, or have children with the woman I love…" he was crying and so was Eve

"My girlfriend loves me and I love her but I'm being selfish, what sort of life will she have with me being a vampire; she wants kids and I can't give them too her. You've got kids on the way; you're gunna want to be able to take them to school on their first day, have parties and take them to play on the swings…you can't do all that stuff if you're a vampire…if you can't go out in the sun"

"Michael…"

"No I'm sorry Shane but I can't let you change, I know it will kill you and I can't stand seeing you hurting even more than you already are"

I didn't know what to say, I just got up and hugged him.

"I'm sorry mate, I just miss her; I know I sound pathetic right now but I can't help it, the people I love are either dead or miles away and I..."

"I know, I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that stuff…"

"No, I shouldn't have been so insensitive" I replied

"You're always insensitive…it's just how we like you" he joked ad I laughed

"I like it too"

"God Shane don't do that again and Michael don't you do it either, you both had me crying and shaking on the stairs and you guys had all the fun while I just stood there" Eve moaned

"We couldn't let you get hurt…we love you too much" I replied and she flipped me off

We sat down for a while before heading off to bed, I was gunna need all the sleep I can get if I was gunna do this; I staggered up the stairs and jumped into bed. I set the alarm on my mobile for 5.30am; the sun would just be rising so there won't be any vampires, Eve and Michael would still be in bed…I just hope they haven't got the machine thingy back up and running because I seriously can't be doing with another run in with Amelie. I fell into a deep sleep, dreaming about seeing Claire again; hopefully, if my plan works…I will. The alarm sounded, I hit the snooze button and closed my eyes once again. _**Shit! Shane wake up, it's time to go see Claire!**_ I jumped out of bed, got changed and packed myself an over night bag. I tiptoed downstairs and went into the kitchen, piling loads of food in my bag; I have a big appetite. I pulled out a pen and paper and wrote Eve and Michael a letter.

_**Hey guys,**_

_**I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was going but I knew you'd try and stop me, plus I'm probably gunna be in some deep shit so I didn't want to drag you guys down too. I'm leaving Morganville for a bit, I need to see Claire and I don't care if Amelie said I couldn't go because nothing was going to stop me. I don't know when I'll be back, as soon as I speak to Claire I suppose; I need to do this…they're my family. Don't worry about me not coming back because I have a note in my jacket as well as on my hand saying 'GO BACK TO Morganville, Eve AND Michael = BEST FRIENDS AND Claire = WIFE' I'm hoping I won't need that because the machine thingy will still be down but if not…I'm prepared. Please don't tell Claire I'm coming because I know she'll run a mile. Take care for now, I'll come back A.S.A.P so don't get to comfortable without me **____** I'll call you when I get passed the borders but if you don't hear from me its because the queen bitch has killed me…anyway I love you guys, keep safe.**_

_**Shane- x**_

I folded it up, left it on the kitchen table and left the glass house.


	34. Chapter 34

Shane's Pov:

The sun was beating down on my face, I could feel my cheeks burning and the beads of sweat running down my forehead; I was so tired, I wasn't used to being up this early. I'm the stay up all night and sleep all day type of guy, plus I wasn't exactly sober when I got to bed this morning so that mixed with the all of 4 hours sleep I got, I was about ready to pass out…luckily I didn't. I reached the borders, there were about 3 guards, one was an elderly man ready to drop down dead, another was a middle-aged man who was playing cards and the younger one who was playing with him; he was probably in his twenties so he was really the only one I had to worry about. They didn't seem to be on full alert so maybe if I made a distraction I could easily slip away. I sat behind the rocks, thinking of a plan; whilst I was at it I put some clothing around my head so that if there were cameras they wouldn't know it was me, although, I'm sure when Michael tells them or if Amelie decides to 'pop' round they'll soon realise that I was the run away. I decided that I was gunna light a small fire, I had matches in my bag in case I ever needed to burn any vamps; unfortunately I never got the chance. I set fire to a pile of sticks and ran to hide behind the little shack they were all in, it was only a few seconds later that the air was filled with smoke and the guards were all rushing over there. For a minute I froze, I was having a flashback about the day Lyssa died…in the fire. My vision was blurring as the tears spilled from my eyes, I wiped them away with the back of my hand and forced my way back to reality; I love Lyssa and she'll always be a part of my life, but this was my only chance to escape and I had to take it. I looked over at the guards who were still making their way over to the diversion I had made, I pulled my hood up so my face was covered and ran. I never looked back, my heart was beating fast and my head started to spin a bit but I didn't even let it slow me down. I hadn't even realised I'd been running for so long but I reached a small town. Luckily for me the first place I saw was a burger bar, I was so hungry and my little snacks weren't gunna cut it; anyway I might need them later. After very little persuasion I pulled open the door and walked up to the counter. An attractive woman came to serve me, she had a nice smile and a pretty face but she, like most women had nothing on Claire. I ate it in less than a minute and washed it with an extra large coke. When I'd finished I went to the little boys room because hey, I didn't want to piss myself when I was on my way to the airport, after that I wandered through the darkened roads, I hadn't noticed the change but I have to admit I was actually quite scared. I'd been gone for hours now and I was just waiting for Amelie and her band of evil bloodsuckers to show up and either kill me or drag me back to Morganville and to be honest if I didn't get to see Claire then I'd rather the first scenario. On the way I'd stopped off at a garage selling used cars, I didn't have much money with me but when I told the guy my story, he didn't exactly give me one but he offered to give me a lift to the airport which was great because I didn't lose any money on buying a shit car and I didn't waste time either. We drove in silence thank god because the guy looked like a total weirdo to me, he dropped me off outside the airport doors and I thanked him and ran inside. I used the very little money I had with me to buy a ticket and waited for my flight to be called. I had a window seat and was sitting next to a gorgeous looking girl…wait stop, think about Claire; you love Claire. The journey took about 4 hours, I sat in silence the whole time; the pretty girl next to me tried to speak to me but I was too wrapped up in my thoughts to really notice. Claire had said she was living in Hollywood and I had stolen her address from Eve's purse so all I needed now was a taxi to take me there. The only problem was that I didn't know if she was still in hospital or if she's been released, I really hope she's been released because I have no idea what hospital she was in; it's not like Morganville, it's a lot bigger so its bound to have more than one and if I look in all of them to see if she'd been brought in then it would take me hours and that's the kind of time I didn't have. Amelie and her guards could be right behind me so I couldn't afford to waste time. I needed to speak to Eve…

"Hello?"

"Hey Eve, its Shane"

"Shane you stupid dick, you've had us all so worried and Amelie is totally freaking out; she's gone after you with her cronies and you are in some deep shit"

"I know I am Eve but I don't care about that, all I care about is seeing Claire and I'm not going until I've done it"

"Shane…"

"Just please help me Eve…all I need is the name of the hospital, they must've told you right?"

"Shane I'm not allowed, you'll get in even more trouble…"

"Eve please, I'm begging you"

"How do you know if she's been discharged or not?" she asked

"I don't…but I know you do"

"Shane…"

"Just tell me Eve, look if they're coming after me then I need to hurry so god damn it tell me!" I almost shouted

"Fine she's still at St Mark's hospital but they told me hours ago so they might've left since then"

"Yeh well I need to take that chance…have you told her I'm coming?"

"No Michael and I haven't but I don't know if Amelie has or not"

"Ok, thanks…Eve I have to go but I'll speak to you soon; bye!" I slammed the phone closed before she could reply and I shouted for a taxi. I think we must've broken every speed limit and been spotted by every speed camera but that didn't matter, I'd been talking to the driver the whole journey and he helped me by breaking the speed limit; not that I minded if it meant getting there quicker. I ran as fast as I could to the reception desk, I was panting as I came to a stop.

"Claire Dan…Collins"

"Are you a family member?"

"Yeh…I'm her husband, is she here?"

"Yes, first floor; room 126"

"Thanks" I shouted and ran in the opposite direction. I didn't even bother waiting for the lift I went straight for the stairs. I so need to start working out more because this was a killer to do. My head turned left and right as I continued down the corridors in search of Claire's room. I accidentally ran past it, I stepped backwards to double check the room number…number 126. I looked through the blinds and there was Claire.


	35. Chapter 35

Claire's Pov:

I was finally being discharged even though they still don't know what's wrong with me, but right now I don't care; all I want to do is go home and eat. I was getting changed out of my hospital gown and into my baggy tracksuit that Ryan had brought in from home. I was still really sore, the doctor said that I would be for a while but he did give me some painkillers for the pain. I wasn't going to know my results for another week so he said that if I had any more pain to take these tablets. I'd just pulled my tracksuit top over my head and Ryan was packing my bag when my mobile rang. I checked who was calling, it was Eve; I flipped it open and pressed reject. God I'd been having phone calls all morning, most of them from Eve and Michael but I did get some from Amelie; I hadn't answered any of them, I just couldn't talk to any of them right now. The only phone call I'll answer is from David Jones. I was so nervous about what the answer would be…and speak of the devil. My phone was ringing again and it was him! I looked up at Ryan.

"It's David!" I shrieked in excitement

"Answer it then" he laughed

I nodded, my hands were shaking as I clicked the accept button.

"Hello" I whispered

"Hello Claire this is David Jones"

"Oh hey" I replied even though I already knew who it was

"I'm phoning about the decision…"

"Yeh I thought that's what it would be about…so?"

"Congratulations, we want to sign you"

I blinked in shock, was this really happening? I pinched myself just to make sure and then screamed down the phone in joy making him laugh.

"I thought you'd be happy, anyway I know you're still in hospital so I'll leave you but tomorrow if possible I'd like you to come down to the studio so we can sign the contract"

"Yeh of course and thank you"

"You're welcome; I'll see you tomorrow at about 4pm?"

"Yep I'll be there"

And I hung up. Ryan was looking at me with a huge smile on his face. I forgot about how sore I was and ran into his arms, he spun me around and kissed my cheek.

"Congratulations babe, I'm so happy for you"

"I can't believe it, I'm gunna be famous and be able to look after my babies" I squealed

"You deserve it, after everything you've been through; you deserve a break"

"Thank you, I wouldn't have got this without you guys taking me to karaoke"

"Trust me with your talent you would've been spotted eventually"

I crushed my lips to his; they were so warm and moist, taking my breath away.

"Thank you for being there for me, I couldn't have done any of this without you and I'm sorry for snapping at you the other night about Shane" I said as I hugged his chest

"No need to apologise I deserved it, I had no right to say those things and any time; I'll be there for you"

"Thanks" I kissed him again

"Anyway you finish getting changed and I'll go put your bags away"

"Ok" I replied watching as he left the room, after everything that's happened recently I was finally happy and I wasn't gunna let anything spoil that. I turned around to pick something off of the floor that Ryan had obviously forgot to get and when I turned back around Shane was standing in front of me. Was it really him? Or was I seeing things? I gasped and stepped back.

"Hey Claire" he smiled

"Get…get away from me…now" I chocked out, putting my hands out in front of me to keep him away

"I'm not going until we talk"

"I'll scream Shane, I swear; just go away"

"I can't do that Claire, they're my babies too" he said and pointed to my stomach, I followed his eyes to my stomach and put my hands protectively around it. My heart was pumping fast and my head was spinning. I staggered forward a bit and nearly fell to the floor but Shane had caught me just in time.

"Claire, are you ok?" he asked, I could hear the concern in his voice

"Get off me!" I yelled and tried pushing him away but I was too weak

"Claire, just talk to me"

"I don't want to talk to you"

"Yeh well I'm sorry Claire but I don't care anymore, I'm going to talk to you whether you like it or not because I am their father and I will be apart of their life…I just hope I don't have to make that happen"

"Are you threatening me?" I asked and I pulled away from him

"If that's what it takes to be in their lives then yeh I am"

"And what are you gunna do?"

"I'll get legal help if I need too"

"Really, and who do you think they're going to give custody to? Me, the one who's carrying them or you, the person who cheated on me? You can't look after them Shane, you can't afford them; your job doesn't pay that much"

"Do you really want to talk about being able to look after yourself because correct me if I'm wrong but I swear we're standing in a hospital and hey at least I have a job, do you?"

"Ok first off, it wasn't my fault I started bleeding; I didn't do this on purpose and second yeh actually I have a job, as of today and I promise you that I'll be able to support them a hell of a lot better than you"

"Oh really and what is this well paid job then?"

"I got signed, David phoned me earlier and I'm going down there tomorrow to sign the contract"

There was silence for a minute.

"Wait you mean…as in you got a music deal?"

"That's exactly what I mean Shane, so who do you think will win this legal battle?"

He didn't reply so I carried on.

"And have you even thought about this Shane, you've got a new girlfriend every other day; do you really want that for your kids? Never really having a stable family, watching you go from girl to girl, what sort of example would you be setting? Can you really see yourself stuck at home day and night looking after them, watching all your friends going out and getting pissed; do you really want that?"

"I want my kids and hey aren't you going out with Ryan?"

"Yeh I'm going out with _**Ryan, **_one person; not a different one whenever I get bored, but from what I heard there's been loads with you hasn't there, I mean there was obviously Olivia, Sarah and I think Eve mentioned another one called Jade"

"Forget about that, do you really want the kids to be without a father? Because I sure as hell know what it's like to have one parent, I found my mum dead in a bath tub and then my father became a more abusive drunk, it wasn't fun and hell if I could go back and change that I would because I hated being alone. They need me just as much as I need them"

I didn't know what to say.

"Please Claire just give me a chance, I just…I really need them Claire; they're all I have left and I can't not have them in my life…it hurts too much"

"Shane…"

"They need a father" he cried out

"And they'll have one" another voice said, Ryan had just come in

"Stay the hell out of this, it has nothing to do with you" Shane said

"Oh doesn't it? Claire's my girlfriend isn't she?"

"They aren't your kids, they're mine and I won't tell you again; stay the hell out of this"

"And I won't tell you again, she's my girlfriend so I am involved"

And that's when Shane lunged for him, even though Ryan was 2 years older than Shane and about a head taller, Shane was a lot stronger. He had Ryan up against the wall, his hands wrapped around his throat; Ryan's face was turning red and he was struggling to get free but he was failing…badly.

"Shane stop it!" I screamed and ran to him, I put my hand on his shoulder causing him to shiver; I was trying to pull him away but I'd forgotten how strong he was.

"Shane please stop ok, we'll talk just let go" I whispered, my tears wetting my cheeks; Shane let him go and Ryan coughed violently, dropping down the wall. I got down on my knees and kissed him, pulling his body to mine.

"Let's talk then"

"I can't believe you just did that; you can't expect anyone to let you look after children if your first answer to everything is violence! What if one of the kids was disobeying you? Would you punch him or her too?" I yelled

"How can you even think that?"

"Well when I see you do that what else do you expect me to do?" I shouted at him

"Look I'm sorry but he was pushing me and I..."

"Kids push Shane, they don't understand; what are you gunna do then huh?"

"You know I wouldn't hurt a child"

"I dunno anymore"

"Do you really think I'd do that? My dad was a violent prick, I was always on the other end of his punches; do you really think I'd want my child to go through that too?" he whispered the last bit and turned around "Please Claire I'm begging you just let me apart of their life, keep me involved; I'll do anything…please"

I was just about to reply when the door burst open and in came Amelie and her followers. They could've run vamp speed over to him but Ryan was in the room, Amelie had him dangling in the air, and she was a lot stronger than Shane so Ryan looked a peachy colour compared to how Shane looked now. I'd never seen anyone that colour before and Shane really couldn't do anything, he wasn't even trying to stop her; I wasn't sure if that was because he didn't want to or because he physically couldn't.

"I should've killed you the other night when you begged me too" she growled, her mouth so close to his neck. Wait what did she mean by 'when you begged me too'? Had Shane asked to die?

"Amelie…" Oliver started, Amelie snapped her head in his direction and slapped him; sending him halfway across the room before turning back too Shane, who wasn't moving.

"How dare you disobey me, to come to see Claire! You've already hurt her enough"

Did she really care that much for me? When I was back in Morganville it sure didn't look like it.

"Amelie stop" I whispered but she didn't listen

"I said stop!" I screamed at the top of my lungs making everyone cringe, I immediately regretted it because I got another pain in my stomach.

"Ahhhhh" I shrieked and grabbed my stomach with one hand and grabbed the bed railing with the other. Amelie and Oliver were over by my side in seconds. Shane sank to the floor, at first he didn't move and I thought that he was dead but then he sucked in the biggest breath I'd ever seen.

"Claire, are you ok?" Amelie asked worriedly

"Yeh I'm fine" I panted "Shane?" I asked

"Yeh I'm here" he coughed and came closer to me, Amelie growled at him

"Stop" I pleaded

"Shane, are you ok?" I asked

"Yeh I'm fine, let's just worry about you three; you're more important"

"You're the one who was nearly strangled to death" I said seriously

"Like I said, you guys are more important"

There was silence for another minute.

"I'm sorry Claire; I thought this is what you would've wanted as you told me you didn't want to see or him from him"

"I know it's ok…just don't hurt or kill him"

"I'll…try"

"Thank you"

"Mr Collins, get up; we're leaving"

"What! No I'm not finished"

"Don't make me break my promise" she snarled

He was grabbed but her guards, they were all pulling him backwards and because they were vamps; they were obviously winning.

"Stop! Please I need to ask her something" he bellowed

"Claire?" Amelie asked

I nodded and they released him, he came up to me; we were only inches apart and I could feel my heartbeat quicken.

"Can I be in their lives? Will you keep in contact?"

I didn't know what to say and when I did my throat blocked up and I couldn't get my words out. He grabbed my face and kissed me, I felt all the memories come back to me; my whole body burned with passion, something I haven't felt since I left. He pulled away and I just wanted his lips back on mine but I knew I shouldn't. Ryan looked angry and he headed for Shane, Shane though just smiled his fighting smile and clocked him one; knocking Ryan to the floor, blood gushing from his nose.

"Will you?" he asked

"Yes" I replied and watched as he was dragged out of the room by vamps.


	36. Chapter 36

Eve's Pov:

God where the hell is he? Shane's been gone for almost a whole day now and the ice queen had gone after him, for all we know he could be dead somewhere after they sucked him dry. God I really have to stop thinking like that, I bet he's perfectly fine and will walk through the door any minute now. Well that's what I hope, I know Michael's just as worried about him as I am maybe even more because he's a vamp and he knows Amelie better than I do so he knows not to underestimate her. I wanna know how it went with Claire or if he even got to see her because she hasn't answered any of my calls or any of Michael's, now that could be because she's either ignoring us or she's turned her phone off because she's in the hospital. I have a feeling it's the first one but I'm still hoping I'm wrong. Sarah's round, she came round to thank Shane for taking her home last night but didn't know he'd be gone. Poor girl, she seemed quite upset; I dunno what's happened between her and Shane but I'm gunna find out and I know she really likes him so this is gunna be a hard conversation.

"So…you and Shane?" I asked

"Yeh, well I dunno what's really happening to be honest, we went on a date; then we decided being friends was better and then he took me home last night and I think I did something I'm gunna regret…I remember kissing him and then him saying no but that's all. I guess that's another reason I came to see him, one, to ask what happened last night and two, apologise"

"I don't think you did anything…too bad and if you did Shane wouldn't hold it against you, he does so many stupid things; one of them is leaving Morganville" I sighed

"Yeh but he had a good reason; he wants to be in the babies' lives"

"Yeh I know and I understand that but he could've phoned her; for all we know he could be dead"

"Do you really think that would work? She hasn't answered any of his calls before and she isn't answering any of yours" she said annoying me

"Look Sarah I'm not trying to be mean here but you don't know Claire, you have no idea what happened between her and Shane…"

"He told me"

"Exactly _he_ told you, he was bound to leave parts out; he thinks he still deserves another chance, forgetting that he's already had two. She's my best friend and I'll back her all the way, she didn't deserve what Shane did to her; she really loved him, she still does but he broke her heart"

"Either way she isn't letting him be in their lives"

God this girl was really starting to piss me off, who the hell does she think she is? Coming into our house and talking about Claire like that! Shane's friend/ girlfriend or not she isn't gunna talk bad about Claire like that.

"Would you? If you had just had your heart ripped out, if you were betrayed; if your husband had been cheating on you before you were even married? Would you really let a guy like that in your children's lives?"

She didn't answer so I continued.

"Claire did this for her children, she'd trusted Shane twice already; she couldn't let him back in her life just so he could cheat again because it wasn't just her involved anymore, she had her babies to think about"

"Yeh but he's still their dad"

"He might be, but if he acts like a complete dick then he deserves everything he gets and you can't tell me if someone cheated on you, you would just forget about it and keep them in your life"

"Well no…"

"Exactly, you're just saying this because it's Shane and you really like him but you just admitted you'd do the same, so you can't judge Claire"

"I'm sorry, I probably sound like a right bitch" she's got that right!

"I'm probably over reacting; its just Claire's like my little girl even though she's a year or two younger than me, with twins on the way and could possibly become famous and I'll do anything to protect her"

"I think that's really nice, I wish I had friends like you guys; I know I have Dylan but that's different"

"If you're a friend of Shane's then you're a friend of ours"

"Thanks"

I was about to speak again when I heard the front door open and close with a slam, I jumped up and raced out of the kitchen and into the hall; Shane was sitting on the sofa with his eyes closed, some vamp guards were watching him.

"Shane!" I shouted and jumped on him, pulling him into a hug

"Eve…I love you and all but I...can't…breathe"

"Good because you had us all worried"

"I'm sorry"

"Oh no, sorry is not gunna cut it, you're on chore duty for the rest of the week"

"Fine, just let me sleep; I haven't slept in hours and I'm tired and hungry"

"I'll make you a sandwich and you can tell us all about what happened…Michael! Shane's back get your ass out of bed" I yelled towards the stairs

"Can't we talk later?"

"Nope" I replied and walked into the kitchen to make Shane his sandwich, I could hear Shane and Sarah talking; I was too focused on that, I wasn't paying attention to where I was cutting and I cut my finger.

"Shit!" I shouted, my finger was bloody and it was so sore; the next thing I know Michael's coming in the kitchen, obviously smelling blood and has already got my finger under tap

"What happened?" he asked

"Was trying to listen into their conversation" I moaned and he laughed

"You should be lucky it's not that deep and your finger wasn't chopped off"

"You say the nicest things" I joked and he kissed me

"I know right, you go in the living room and I'll finish Shane's sandwich"

"Thank you"

I went back into the living room, Shane was still on the sofa and Sarah had joined him.

"So I'm guessing Amelie got to you before you got to see Claire"

"Nope, I saw her"

"Oh my god, you did; how was she?"

"She looked really sick, she was so pale; she had bags under her eyes and she looked so skinny"

"Wait, did you say she was skinny? She's pregnant with twins, she should be getting bigger not smaller" I exclaimed

"I know that's what I thought, she looks really bad Eve and I'm worried"

"But there can't be anything really wrong with her could there? I mean the doctors are releasing her aren't they?"

"Yeh, that's what I didn't understand; if I was a doctor I'd keep her in"

"She's that bad? How was she acting?"

"She was scared and didn't want to see me, she nearly fainted but I think that was because I was there"

"Well did you ask her? What happened?"

"I was talking to her and she told me she got signed"

"Oh my god that's fantastic…"

"And then she said that she wasn't gunna let the babies be with me, she said she couldn't trust me and then I attacked Ryan and she said that she couldn't trust me around kids if I attacked people when I got angry, so I begged her and then Amelie and her guards showed up; nearly strangled me to death, Claire screamed at her to stop and got some more pains in her stomach, then I punched Ryan"

He looked at me, his back was towards Sarah and then he mouthed 'I kissed her and she seemed to enjoy it', which made me smile.

"And then just before I got dragged away she said she'd keep in contact"

"Oh Shane I'm so happy for you" I cried and hugged him again

"Thanks, I'm just so happy that I get to be in their lives; I can't believe she even gave me another chance"

"Claire's not the cold, heartless bitch everyone here seems to think she is" I said and looked at Sarah

"But Shane, I mean it, if you betray her again or do anything concerning being a dad then I won't even get permission from Michael I will chuck you straight out, not before beating the crap out of you first; ok?"

"I second that" Michael shouted from the kitchen making everyone laugh.


	37. Chapter 37

Claire's Pov:

I can't get him out of my head! I know it's wrong because I'm with Ryan now and Shane broke my heart but I just can't help it. A part of me is telling me to move on with Ryan, Shane will only break your heart again but then another part is telling me to forgive him, to take him back…why is my life so hard? When I saw Shane in my hospital room I was filled with anger and joy, I told him I wanted him to leave but deep down I craved his presence; I needed him to be with me. Him just being there calmed me down, made me forget the pain I was in and then Amelie came in. I suppose I can't exactly blame her, I'm almost like a daughter to her and she wants to protect me but when she had Shane up against the wall I hated her; I wanted to rip her away from him, dragging her out of the room by her all too perfects blonde hair…I don't even know how I restrained myself. I agreed to let Shane back in my life and I was actually happy about my decision…Ryan on the other hand was pissed, not only because I said I'd keep him updated but because Shane kissed me. He wouldn't even speak to me after that, because I didn't 'pull away', I mean come on the guy shows up after months and kisses me; I was in shock, cut a girl some slack already!

I'd gone down the studio yesterday just after I was released and signed the papers, they gave me a timetable for practise and when I'm fully recovered I have to get down to some serious training. My life has changed so much in only a couple of months, I'm getting bigger each day, even grumpier and they still don't know why I collapsed; I'll get the results back late next week, I wish they would be ready sooner because I don't think I'd be able to handle the pain again, or if anything happened to my babies. I'm going for my first scan tomorrow and Becky's coming with me seeing as Ryan's still giving me the silent treatment. I'll then have to send Shane a copy of the photo…and shit! It still haven't told my parents, fuck my life…maybe I could send them a photo too, with 'sorry mum and dad but I'm pregnant…with twins x' written at the bottom? No I can't do that, they'd kill me…no jokes. I'll definitely phone them tomorrow, I'm just too tired to do it now. I pulled back the covers and slipped into bed, pulling the duvets up to my chin and drifted into peaceful sleep.

I was dreaming about being on the beach with my babies, there was a handsome little boy who looked exactly like his father and then my beautiful baby girl looked like me. We were building sandcastles, eating ice cream whilst laughing and…..NO! Don't wake me up, I don't want to leave this dream; it's just too good. I was woken up, a smiling face above mine, Becky's. Damn it! Why couldn't I just finish this dream, someone up there really hates me, I thought as I looked to the sky. I groaned and leaned up on my elbows.

"What is it?"

"Nothing I'm just waking you up because we have your appointment in two hours"

"Urgh, couldn't you have woken me up later? I was in the middle of an amazing dream" I moaned and rolled out of bed.

"I'm sorry, what was it about anyway?"

"My babies" I replied, feeling a huge smile fill my sleepy face

"Oh really, what happened?"

"We were on the beach building sandcastles, eating ice cream and laughing; they're were to most beautiful babies I'd ever seen, my baby boy and baby girl"

"A boy and a girl!" she smiled and I nodded "Did they have names?"

"Unfortunately no"

"Do you know what you'll call them?"

"I have a few ideas, but I need to speak to Shane about them"

"Why, he broke your heart?"

"And I told him he could be apart of their lives"

"Fine, but what are they anyway?"

"Well if they're two boys I was thinking Sam Michael Collins and Mason James Collins"

"Where'd you get those names from?"

"Well Sam in Michael's grandfather, he was a good man but he died and few years ago, Michael is obviously from Michael and Mason, you know is my old best friend…you know before the one died that night in the fire and James is from Uncle James"

"Oh right, they're nice and what about if they're girls?"

"If they're two girls, then Molly Eve Collins and Alyssa Rose Maddison Collins. Molly was Shane's mum and Alyssa was his little sister's name"

"Was?"

"Yeh…Shane's…well he doesn't really have a family, theses babies are all he has left" I sighed and placed a hand on my stomach

"What happened?" she asked

"He got on the bad side of someone and they burnt his house down, he and his little sister were the only ones home, he'd fallen asleep and she was up in her room; he tried to get to her but he was dragged out…they couldn't get to her in time and she died. They left town and then his mum committed suicide but he thinks she was murdered too, his dad was an abusive drunk who hit him; when they finally got things back on track he was in a building when it collapsed and he died" I obviously had to change some of the smaller details because I couldn't exactly tell her that his dad was crushed by a zombie machine and that he was a vampire or that the vampires killed his mum because she remembered about the town"

"Wow! Poor guy now I know why he's so screwed up and wanting to see the babies…why does he think his mum was murdered?"

Shit! I shouldn't have mentioned that bit…think Claire think

"Umm…well all he thinks that the people who killed his sister came after them"

"But why? I mean it's understandable if she would um…kill herself after losing a child but why would they come after her?" god why couldn't I just keep my mouth closed!

"I dunno that's all he said" she nodded

"So what would you call them if it's a boy and a girl?"

"I'm not sure…we'll have to wait and see"

"You can't just say that and then leave me wondering!" I laughed

"Oh yes I can"

"You're so mean"

"I know but I'm family so you'll have to deal with it"

"Whatever just get ready, we'll get lunch before we go to the scan ok?"

"You do realise you don't actually have to ask, as long as food's involved I'll always be there"

"I know you will fatty"

"Hey, thanks for that; you really know how to bring a girls spirits down don't you" I moaned and pretended to look hurt

"CB I'm sorry you know I'm only joking" I carried on fake crying, but after taking a peak at her face I burst out loud; she actually believed I was really crying.

"Again, you are so mean"

"I know, it's a gift…so, Becky on a serious note now; does he still hate me?" I asked nervously not really wanting to hear the answer, she knew who I was talking to; I didn't even have to say his name.

"Claire you know he could never hate you, he's just…upset and jealous, he'll get over it soon; you just gotta give him time" I just nodded again

"Right, we'll finish talking when we're out; but now you need to get ready"

"Yes sir!" I saluted before laughing again

After she left I walked over to my closet and pulled out a baggy long top so I could hide the small bump that was showing through my skin tight vest top. I pulled out a pair of leggings and high heel ankle boots, I did a once over in the mirror and I have to say I looked good. For once I didn't look tired or scared or I wasn't running from the evil creatures of the night…I was just me, getting ready to go shopping with a friend not having to worry about being jumped and sucked dry, going to my first baby scan and being happy. I was calm and relaxed and I loved it. I picked up Ryan's jacket, he'd left it here from our first date, and I wrapped it around my body, picked my bag up from the floor and headed down the stairs. Ryan was at football practise so I wouldn't have to have that awkward conversation with him asking me if I was wearing his jacket. Becky looked up from the TV and Jack looked up from reading the paper.

"You look sexy!" Becky cried

Jack smiled "Is that Ryan's jacket"

"Yeh…so are you ready to go?"

"Yep, let me just get my jacket and we'll be off" she jumped up from the sofa and ran out of the room. Jack was still looking at me with a goofy smile on his face.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just good to see you happy and smiling again" his smile dropped "When you were in hospital….it was…scary and we all hated seeing you like that, not knowing what was happening; you're like a little sister to me and I want you safe"

"Thanks…and hey, why does everyone see me as a little sister? The guys back in Morganville all said the same, everyone thinks I'm young; even the mayor of the town called me 'little Claire'! I hate everyone seeing me as young I'm 19! Just because I'm small it doesn't mean I'm young, I'm going to be a mum in 7 months and I was married! I'm not young!" I whispered the last bit; my cheeks were damp from my tears.

"Claire I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry, we all know you're not young, for one thing you're probably smarter than most 30 year old adults and you act for mature than most people your age, you always have…it's just everyone loves you Claire, you're one of the nicest people I've ever met and it's hard not to love you, that's why people say you're like a little sister to them…I'm sorry"

"Don't worry about it, I think I'm over reacting…stupid hormones; I'm all over the place these days, one minute I'll be as happy as Larry and the next I'm ready to kill…urgh, pregnancy is so annoying!" I groaned and wiped my eyes, while Jack laughed

"It might seem like that now but in 7 months time when you have you're beautiful babies, you'll know it was all worth it" he smiled

"I know"

There was silence for a minute until Becky came running back in with her car keys in her hand.


	38. Chapter 38

Claire's Pov:

The car journey wasn't that long which was good because I really needed to pee, I had gone just before we'd left too, unfortunately another pregnancy symptom; I might as well live on the toilet because I spend long enough on there! We finally pulled up in the shopping centre car park and I darted from the car, Becky was calling after me but I was in desperate need of a bathroom, now not only to pee but to throw up the contents of my stomach! Thank god I was the only one in the bathroom because I would've died of embarrassment if someone had actually seen me. Just as I was finishing being sick I heard the door open, I hoped it was Becky and not some stranger; I could feel myself getting redder each second.

"Claire?" thank god it was her

"Y-yeh I'm in…" another wave of vomit came, I looked down in the toilet; don't ask me why, I just had a feeling something was different. When I looked down, I saw that I was right, I hadn't only been sick but there was blood there too…a lot of it! My head was spinning and my heart was beating furiously against my rib cage, ready to break through the skin. My whole body was shaking…why was there blood? This wasn't supposed to happen! Was there something wrong with the baby?

Becky's loud knocking on my cubical door brought me out of my thoughts.

"Claire, are you ok?"

"Err…yeh, hold on a minute while I finish"

"Sure" she replied

I pulled the toilet roll from the wall and wiped the blood from my mouth, taking the mirror from my bag and quickly looking at my face to see if I'd missed anything, I don't know how I'd explain the blood to Becky otherwise. I flushed the chain and stood up, I swayed at bit at first but grabbed the handle before I could fall; I stood there for a few seconds taking deep breaths trying to calm myself down. Once I had stopped shaking I unlocked the bathroom door and made my way over to the sinks, Becky was sitting on top of them, looking at me with a sad expression on her face.

"You ok? You look really pale"

"Yeh…err…I'm just tired and nervous and if you haven't forgotten I was just sick"

"Oh yeh…I dunno you just looked paler"

"I'm fine…nothing a Big Mac cheeseburger won't fix" I smiled and she laughed

After rinsing my mouth out until I could no longer taste the sick…or the blood, we made our way over to McDonald's. I ate mine in just under a minute, no exaggeration either; I had eaten my double cheeseburger, large fries and downed my extra large chocolate shake whilst Becky had only eaten half of her burger…what can I say, pregnancy makes me eat excessive amounts of food. We did a bit of shopping once we'd finished eating, mostly baby shopping; I bought a few baby grows even though I didn't no the sex yet, I just couldn't resist. That's another reason why I'm so glad I accepted David's offer, not only because I loved the feeling of being up on stage but also because I was in desperate need of money, especially when I found out I was having twins. When the time came for the appointment my stomach twisted, I was so nervous…why couldn't Shane be with me? Wait! Did I just say that? Shit, I really need to stop thinking about Shane like that…we can never be together romantically again…but why? Shut up Claire! Focus, today is important because you get to see your babies for the first time and then tell Shane…ah dreamy Shane…gorgeous, sexy…SNAP out of it Claire! When Becky wasn't looking I slapped myself around the face…ah that's better, not thinking about Shane anymore.

"Becky I can't go"

"Why?"

"I'm so scared, what if something's wrong? I wouldn't be able to handle it…let's just go home" I said and went to turn around

"Oh no you don't" she replied and dragged me backwards by the collar of my top. "You're coming with me and we're going to see your beautiful babies"

"But…" I started to protest

"No buts, we are doing this and we're doing this now!" she almost shouted, her face filled with anger but then softened to worry.

"Look CB, I'm sorry…I know this is hard for you being your first baby…well babies but you really need to do this, you and I both know that and I didn't mean to snap at you its just me and Aidan are having a few problems recently and I really need a distraction…something amazing" she finished and looked away

"Hey, you don't need to be embarrassed, we're family and if you've forgotten why I came here, it was because my new husband had been having an affair for 3 months before I found out and it was before we got married so if anyone should be embarrassed it should be me"

"It's just…I dunno what's happening anymore"

"Well lets talk about it, I've got loads of time before my appointment" I said hoping she'd agree and we'd 'accidentally' miss my appointment

"Ha, nice try CB but you're going to this appointment, now; we can talk after"

I sighed and gave in, no way was she gunna let me off the hook so I followed her. We arrived at the hospital about 5 minutes later, my insides were hurting and I was shivering, Becky had said that I was looking pale again; I don't even no why I was so nervous, all that was going to happen is the doctor's checking my babies. Yeh you idiot the doctor will be checking the babies to see if everything's alright, to see if you haven't hurt them! A voice inside my head said. As I was listening to these annoying voices I nearly missed my name being called out.

"Claire Collins?" a squeaky voice said, I sighed at the last name and looked over at Becky who through me a apologetic smile

"Sorry, but you're still married so I had to use your name" I just nodded and followed the nurse, with Becky following me. We entered a brightly lit room; there was a bed in the middle with a machine next to it. I could feel my heart racing, I hated hospitals, and every time I was in one it was for something bad and most of the time it involved me nearly dieing.

"Hello I'm Dr. Carter, take a seat on the bed please Mrs Collins" I nodded and made my way over to the bed, I was shaking and I couldn't get any words out

"C-call me Claire"

"Ok Claire, is there anyone else coming, a Mr Collins?"

"Um…no it's just my cousin Becky"

"Ok then, let's get started" she said and smiled

"Right Claire, I need you to lift your top up for me so I can out this gel on…I have to warn you that it's quite cold" she laughed at my scared expression

"You don't have to be nervous, I'm sure everything will be ok" she tried to reassure me but she failed, she said she was sure; not she's positive; maybe something was wrong! I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath, 'it's quite cold' was a bloody understatement, it was fucking freezing! I flinched when the icy gel came into contact with my stomach. The room was silent, all that I could hear was my fast beating heart; I couldn't hear any heartbeats so maybe there was no baby, maybe I'd had a miscarriage; no this can't be happening, I can't have…Beep, beep, beep…my eyes snapped open as I heard the faint noise from the machine. My head whipped round to face the doctor, she had the ultrasound monitor still on my stomach and a huge smile on her lips, she pointed the screen next to her and there they were…my beautiful babies.

"Congratulations Claire, you have two strong and healthy babies. Unfortunately we don't know the sex yet as it's still too soon to tell but by your next scan you will…if you want to"

"Oh my god CB that's amazing!" Becky cried, trying not to shake the camera she was holding. Yes I said camera, I thought that I'd film it and send it to Shane as he couldn't be here today; it was going to be a surprise for him so I hope he likes it. He was totally gutted when I texted him and told him that my first scan was today, when I spoke to Eve she'd said that after I'd told him he'd started crying and then he ran to our bedroom…I mean his bedroom.

"Thanks…are you sure everything's ok? Coz if there is something wrong then I'd like to know" I quickly said and she laughed

"Don't worry Claire, nothing's wrong; it's perfectly normal for you too be worried seeing as it's your first time but I can assure you that everything's ok" she finished and smiled and I nodded

"So, would you like a copy of the scan?"

"Yes please" I almost shouted making her laugh again "Sorry"

"That's alright, it's natural to be excited"

"Would it be possible to have a few copies, it's only I'm not really with the dad anymore and then my parents…"

"That's fine…would 6 copies be ok?"

"That would be perfect thank you"

She left the room and Becky, now camera free, ran over to me and pulled me into a hug; forgetting I still had the gel on my stomach she was covered in it.

"Ok, right now if it wasn't such a happy occasion I would've been having a bitch fit but because of the good news we've just heard I'm gunna let it slide" she laughed as she wiped the gel off her clothes. The doctor came in a minute later with and envelope, obviously holding my photos; she handed them to me and then wiped the gel from my stomach. As soon as I was gel free I felt a lot better, I said my goodbyes and then left the hospital… a very happy woman.


	39. Chapter 39

Shane's Pov:

I had decided to go out with the guys tonight, I was kinda upset that I couldn't be at the first scan but Claire said she'd send me a copy, so therefore I was depressed and needed to drown my sorrows. Rad and the guys used this as an excuse to get hammered, not that they needed an excuse; they're always out getting wasted. Not that I can really complain because before I met Claire, I was one of them, I still am but we're not as close as we used to be. I stopped going out, getting wasted and picking up girls when Claire entered my life and now she's gone I'm straight back to it; how sad am I? so here I was looking at my reflection in the mirror, preparing myself for tonight, my hair needed cutting; I was gunna do it the other night but then I remembered how much Claire liked my hair, she always used to say it was one of my modal like features, I know it sounds stupid but a part of me was telling me to keep it like this…for Claire even though she wasn't even here to see it. After brushing my teeth and changing my clothes I picked up my wallet and made my way downstairs where Michael was waiting, he wasn't coming tonight because that would mean leaving Eve alone…and some of the guys weren't really comfortable with him being there as he was a vampire but he offered to give me a lift and it's better than walking in the dark in Morganville. I said goodbye to Eve and then headed out into the warm night. We no longer had to sprint to the car like we used to when it was dark because Michael was now a vampire so 1) that meant he could sense other vampires and 2) even though he was the baby vampire he was somehow stronger than some of the older ones…strange I know right but then again vampires even existing is weird so…

Michael pulled up outside the pub we were meeting at, this was our usual spot; we'd always start off in a quiet place to have a few beers and then we'd head to the real deal later on. I think tonight we were going to club 'Shock', it was the hottest club in Morganville and a personal favourite of mine. I pulled open the door and scanned the room for my friends, I didn't have to look far because they were in our usual spot; the table at the back….number 26 to be precise.

"Shaney boy!" Jack shouted "Take a seat and I'll get you one in!"

"Cheers mate" I replied before taking my seat next to Rad

"So how are you doing?" Rad asked, I didn't know why he was asking me that so I looked at him with a very confused expression

"….You know, with Claire's scan today and you not being there?" oh right it all came back to me

"Oh yeh…I guess I'm ok" I replied, hopefully he would just leave it at that and not push me for the truth

"Come on man, it's me you're talking to; I could tell you were pissed off and upset as soon as you walked through those doors"

"Well, fine of course I'm pissed off and upset; I'm not able to go to the first scan, I can't see my babies!" I replied

"Have you spoken to Claire? To ask if everything's ok?" nah of course I haven't phoned to ask how my babies are! It's not as if Claire nearly lost them or anything!

"Of course I have! She just hasn't answered my calls" I sighed "Do you think they're ok?" I asked nervously

"I know they're ok mate, I know Claire and even after everything you did to her; I know if anything was wrong she'd tell you….stop worrying about it and have some fun!" he smiled and gulped down some beer. How can he say stop worrying? How could I have fun when I didn't know if they were ok! Just as I was thinking about this my phone rang…it was Claire!

"It's Claire! I have to take this" I almost shouted making Rad laugh

"Go on mate, we'll still be here when you get back….dunno if I can say the same for your beer though" he smiled

"You dare…" I replied before flipping my phone open to answer her call

"Hello?" I said as I headed towards the door, walking past Jack with my beer

"Hey where are you going? I just got a beer in!" he shouted and then I heard Rad reply

"Claire's on the phone with first scan news…he'll be back"

I pulled open the door and walked out into the dark Morganville night, I held my mobile to my ear and spoke, my voice barely a whisper.

"Claire?"

"Yeh it's me, I thought you'd hung up" she replied

"Oh sorry, I was in the pub with the guys and I couldn't hear so I had to go outside"

"Oh right, I see" her voice sounded very judgmental but I decided to let it go, I didn't really need to argue with her now; not after she agreed to let me see my babies.

"So did everything go ok? How was it? What happened? Are they ok?..."

"Shane! One at a time" she laughed

"Sorry I'm just so nervous and excited…it's hard not being able to actually be there…and before you say anything, I know it's my fault" there was silence

"Shane it's ok, I understand…anyway the scan went great, I got to see our babies and they're so small..." she paused and I stayed silent waiting for her to continue "…I wish you were there, I wish I didn't want you there but I can't help how I feel"

I didn't know what to say, I hated how I made her feel; it made my insides hurt just thinking about the pain I caused her.

"I'm sorry Claire, I really am"

"I know you are, but it doesn't mean I can just forgive and forget"

"I know" I replied in a whisper

"The doctor said they were very healthy, their heartbeats are strong and he said they were doing extremely well considering everything that happened to me"

"I'm so happy" I replied

"Anyway, I err…I'm gunna text you a copy of the photo and err…I'll speak to you soon" she said awkwardly. I hated how things had gotten like this…so awkward. We used to just be able to sit next to each other without having to even speak and that wasn't awkward but this…this was torture. I'd do anything to go back to the way things were.

"Thanks…bye" I mumbled

"Yeh…bye" she replied and hung up, I sighed and headed back inside. I was nearly at the table and I could hear the guys all laughing and then Rad called me.

"Oi! Shane how was it? Are they ok? You don't look very happy" he asked

I sat back down in the seat next to him and took a swig of my now warm beer.

"Yeh, she said they're fine"

"Then why have you got a face like kicked puppy?"

"It's just, it was so awkward, like she couldn't wait to hang up and I guess I just hated the fact that I couldn't be there"

"Maybe you can go to the next scan…?"

"Yeh right" I replied and looked down at my phone to see if I'd received the photo and just as I was about to close my phone it buzzed. I quickly scrolled down my inbox and opened her text message. At first I didn't know what I was looking at but Claire had written 'The babies are the blobs! x' underneath it. I nearly cried with happiness, even though they were just blobs on the screen I couldn't help the feeling in my heart…they were my babies.

"Shane? What's up? Are you crying?" Rad asked and I could hear his smile

"Claire just sent me a photo of the scan"

"Oh my god let me see" I handed the phone over to him and watched as his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Where are they?" he asked

"They're the blobs, here and…here" I pointed

"Really?" he asked obviously shocked

"What did you expect, they're a couple of months"

"True, look mate I'm so happy for you"

"Thanks" I replied and watched happily as all my friends had a look. I now had something to celebrate! We ended up leaving not long after that and heading over to 'Shock' and yes as I expected I had a fantastic time, got absolutely smashed and I even got in good with some girl…well girls. I guess the old Shane Collins is back.


	40. Chapter 40

Shane's Pov:

I was dreaming, I was in a field with my Claire and our babies; we were happy and we were kissing…things were back to normal. We were laughing and…No! I was being woken from this amazing dream by something ice cold and wet. My eyes shot opening to see Michael and Eve hovering above my face, in Eve's right hand was a bucket which contained the ice water that was now covering my body. I was about to jump up but then I remembered that I was naked…well damn.

"What the hell Eve!"

"Shut it Collins!"

"What the hell is your problem? You wake me up this early with a bucket of fucking cold water! What did I do to you?"

"1) it's not early, it's 2 in the afternoon 2) we watched another slag coming from your bedroom this morning and 3) you were pissed again, coming home at 3 in the morning and waking us up!"

"Look Eve what I do in my spare time has got nothing to do with you" I yelled now extremely pissed

"Uh...yeh it does Shane! You wanna no why? One word for you buddy…Claire!" she shouted before leaving the room. Michael just stood staring at me with dark eyes, he looked even more pissed off; just about to rip my balls off, that's just how angry he was.

"Look Shane, this has got to stop" he said

"What's got to stop?" I asked

"This…" he said and gestured towards me "You going out every night, getting pissed and bringing home a different girl every night"

"You never minded before" I almost growled, what the hell was it to him? First they were telling me to move on and now he's telling me to stop!

"You never had Claire before…or twins on the way!" he said angrily

"Have you not noticed that Claire isn't here anymore? She left…what do you expect me to do"

"I expect you to fucking grow up Shane! You're gunna be a dad soon, you can't keep doing this; you have responsibilities"

"They're not even born yet!" I cried

"Yeh I know that Shane because if they were you definitely wouldn't be in their lives, we both know Claire wouldn't allow it. Look Shane I know it's your life…"

"Yeh you got that right…it's my life, so butt out"

"Yeh and this is my house, and Claire's my friend…my sister. I won't see her or those kids hurt again because of you and if I have to I will throw your selfish ass out of this house, so you better buck up your ideas"

"You wouldn't…" he wouldn't would he? I mean we've been best friends for years; he couldn't just throw me out!

"Yeh I would, if it meant keeping Claire from getting hurt again. You said you still loved her Shane…going out and having sex with different girls doesn't show that. What happened to wanting to win her back? you said when you came back that she kissed you back, that you could see she still loved you and you told us that wouldn't stop until you were all a family again…so why? Why do you keep doing this?"

"Because…because I love her and I miss her, she's with Ryan; she's got someone to snuggle up with at night, someone to love her and I hate it; I hate being without her" I whispered and wiped the tears from my cheeks, turning away from Michael so he doesn't see me weak.

"It doesn't make you weak if you cry man, I know you hurt but you doing this isn't helping and if it makes you feel any better Claire sounded really upset when Eve said that you keep going out getting drunk and bringing home girls"

"She did?" I asked hopefully making him laugh

"Yeh…she did, we all know she still loves you; Eve even told me, and you have to swear you won't mention this to anyone that Claire said she wasn't happy with Ryan and that she was thinking about ending it with him"

"Oh my god, she did?"

"Yeh, so if I were you mate, I would get sorted out and try and win her back" he said and left the room. That was exactly what I was gunna do.

Claire's Pov: **I DON'T OWN THESE SONGS BUT IN THE STORY I'M PRETENDING THAT Claire WROTE THEM ALL!**

I was in the recording booth, practising the song I had recently just written 'Love the way you lie', I don't even know where it came from but ever since I saw Shane again it all came to me, I had been holed up in my room for days working on new songs; they all tried to get me to come down but I refused saying I needed to finish, and here I am in a recording booth with my boyfriend listening to that song. When I was finished they all had tears in their eyes.

"That was amazing Claire" Ryan screamed happily and pulled me into a hug, he was so warm and smelt so nice…but it didn't feel right, not how I used to feel when I was in Shane's arms, his strong, muscular, warm arms and his…Stop Claire! You need to focus on your music and your babies not your cheating ex.

"Thanks" I muttered into his chest

"Well Claire, I have to say that you're doing really well; you already have a song to go on your new album and you wrote it too, a double bonus" David said smiling

"I have a few more I'm working on" I whispered shyly

"There's nothing to be shy about Claire, you have immense talent and if those songs are anything like this one then they're gunna be fantastic"

"Thank you, not just for what you just said but for giving me this chance; I didn't even know I had talent, not until I met you; so thank you"

"You're welcome and you deserve it"

I hugged him before heading towards the door.

"Oh Claire" he called and turned back around to face him "When do you get the hospital results back?" he asked worriedly

"Um…I'm… going into get… them after this" I stuttered

"I'm sure everything will be ok, phone me when you know"

"Will do" I replied before walking out

We walked in silence to my new car, David had given me some money; it wasn't much he said but then again to a millionaire like him $70,000 was peanuts, he said that I was going to need a new car to travel to and from the studio so he took me car shopping and bought me a shiny red Mullen M11 GT Roadster; which might I add, I absolutely loved! I haven't told the Glass house residents yet because I didn't want them to think that I was changing, all of my current housemates new though and they were very jealous. Aidan had moaned for days saying he'd saved up for 3 years to get his mustang whereas I got and even better and more expensive car for free. As we were crossing the road to get to the car park a pretty girl came running towards us.

"Ryan!" she yelled and pulled him into a hug making me jealous and angry

"Amber? Is that you?"

"Yeh, long time no see" she smiled and pulled backwards but they still didn't separate

"God it's been forever, I've missed you" he said and pulled her into another hug. Was this the Amber who dumped him? The one everyone said he fell hard for, the one he loved? Oh my god it was! He still loved her, I could see it in his eyes; the way he looked at her, he'd never looked at me like that. I wiped the tear that rolled down my cheek before speaking.

"Oh so you're Amber, I've heard so much about you" I said trying to keep the anger out of my voice

"Yeh that's me, so you are?"

"Claire, Ryan's girlfriend"

"Oh right" she said and turned back to him

"We've only just started going out" he said quickly as if he were reassuring her or something

"Cool" she replied trying to keep the upset out of her voice but she failed miserably and I found myself smirking.

"So, are you seeing anyone?" Ryan asked hopefully

"Nope, I never really felt the same after you" she smiled at him and he did too

"Yeh, me neither" he whispered still looking into her eyes; I can't believe he seriously just said that right in front of me. I cleared my throat and they both looked at me, both clearly annoyed that I had interrupted.

"Um…Claire, you don't mind if I stay and catch up with Amber do you?"

"Oh…but I thought we were going to the cinema after I got my results?" I replied

"Yeh but we can do that whenever, I just haven't seen Amber in ages"

"Oh well…"

"Thanks Claire, I'll see you later" he said before I could finish, he didn't even give me a kiss, just walked off with that bitch! I can't believe I just got ditched by my boyfriend so he can catch up with his ex. He was meant to come with me to get my results too, he new how worried I had been about getting them and he didn't even care. I couldn't help it, the tears just wouldn't stop. I climbed into my car and pushed down on the peddle, the car roared to life as I reversed out of the parking lot at 75, I didn't even care that people were beeping me, I never usually drove this recklessly but I was upset and angry. I pulled up outside the hospital and took my keys out of the engine. I sat there for a few minutes, deciding whether to actually go in. come on Claire! You don't need him, you can get the results on your own…but what if something was wrong? What if I could lose the baby? I really did need someone to come with me. I hadn't even realised that whilst I was arguing with myself I had actually got out of the car, locked it and walked into the hospital and up to the reception desk.

"Hello love, how can I help you?"

"I...err…I... I'm here for my results" I stammered

"Oh ok, what's your name?"

"Claire…Claire Danvers" is said nervously and she smiled

"Don't worry miss, I bet everything will be ok" but that didn't reassure me "Just take a seat and I'll call you when the doctors ready"

"Ok, thank you" I replied and took a seat.

I don't know how long I'd been waiting, just sparing into space waiting for my name to be called out, my heart was beating so fast and my palms sweaty.

"Claire Danvers!" someone shouted and my head snapped up to see the doctor who had treated me. I followed the doctor into his office.

"Take a seat Claire" the tone of his voice was filled with sadness, something must be wrong.

"Is something wrong?" I asked quickly, standing up, to look into his eyes, they were full of pain and sorrow

"Claire, I think you should sit back down" oh god something is wrong

"No! Just tell me…please"

"I'm sorry to tell you this Claire but the results show that you have…


	41. Chapter 41

Claire's Pov:

"…Stomach cancer" the doctor finished, at first I thought that I heard wrong or that maybe he was joking but his facial expression showed complete seriousness.

"What? No, I...I can't have stomach cancer…wha…what does that mean? What's going to happen? What…what's going to happen to my babies?" I whispered, my body swaying from side to side, the news was overpowering but I stayed standing

"I know this is a lot to take in Claire, it's treatable but…"

"What? What's the but?" I asked quietly sounding like a scared little girl

"But…it puts all three of you at great risk, you're even more at risk because of the pregnancy; we are unable to remove the cancer with you still being pregnant…"

"Wait so what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that the best chance you have at surviving is if you abort the babies" I gasped

"No…no…no way in hell, am I killing my babies! You can't make me" I screamed, my head started spinning, the news was too much to take in when I found out I had cancer and now he's telling me I should kill my babies! I was swaying even more now; I should've taken his advice at the beginning when he told me I should sit down. I tried to regain my balance by grabbing hold of the back of the chair but it didn't make much of a difference and I went down. I saw him hovering over me before I closed my eyes.

I don't know how long I was out but when I woke up I was in a hospital bed with wires attached to me. My heart beat sped up, what if they had taken my babies already? I wouldn't have been able to stop them when I was unconscious! I scanned the room to see if anyone else was here but it was just me, I pulled the wires from my skin and was just about to jump out of bed when the doctor came back in.

"Oh good you're awake" he said and pulled a chair over to the bed.

"You…you haven't taken my babies already have you?" I murmured

"Of course not, we have to have consent" relief washed over me just before the anger kicked in

"You're not gunna get any consent; I'm not killing the twin's end of discussion"

"But Claire, if you don't have the treatment then there is a high chance that you will die"

"I don't care, I'm not killing my babies" I cried

"Claire, you may not survive their birth even if you make it through the whole 9 months, and neither could they…you can always have…"

"Don't even say I can have more children, I'm not killing my children to save myself"

"I understand that this is hard…"

"You understand! You understand! How the hell can you understand? Are you pregnant? Are you being told you could die and so could your children? Are you being told to kill your babies? NO! That's just me, so no you don't understand how I'm feeling!" tears were blurring my vision and I was finding it hard to breathe.

"Claire calm down, I know you don't want to hear me say that but if you don't calm down you'll cause more problems for the babies" he finished and handed me a tissue and glass of water.

"Look I know this is a lot to take in so, I'd recommend going home and talking to your friends and family…to the father and discussing it and then when you've made your decision come back and we'll talk ok?"

I nodded, he unhooked me from the machines, handed me my clothes and left the room. I cried uncontrollably whilst I was dressing, once I was finished I headed back out to the reception to give in my forms. The same woman who saw me earlier was still there.

"Oh hello dear, how were the results; are they ok like I said?" she asked and smiled

"No. I've just been told that I have stomach cancer and I'm dying. So no you were wrong." I said viciously, I looked up to see her mouth hanging open. I turned to go.

"I'm so sorry…"

"Don't" I said simply before walking out the hospital

I couldn't go home yet, they were all there; they had all taken the day off so I could tell them the news…and right now I couldn't face them. I walked straight passed my car and headed over to the park near the studio. It wasn't far to walk so I didn't see the point in taking my car. I did have to walk by shops and restaurants though, people coming up to me and asking if I was ok. I walked passed the red lobster restaurant to see Ryan and Amber laughing over a meal, I tried to hide my face but Ryan spotted me, his smile faded and he stood up; grabbing my arm and pulling me to face him. I refused to look at him and he forced my chin up.

"Claire, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Nothing for you to worry about; you just go back to having fun with your ex, I'm perfectly fine" I almost growled making him flinch back

"Claire what's wrong? I don't understand…"

"What were we meant to get today Ryan?" he thought for a second but didn't say anything "What I mean that little to you that you can't even remember? Well don't worry anymore, it no longer your problem; I went to get the results on my own" I snarled at him and pulled my arm out of his grip and carried on walking. He got out from behind the table and pulled me back, everyone watching us.

"Get off me, I'm not in the mood"

"What did the doctor say?" he asked

"What so now you're worried about me? Well never mind it's a bit late now"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just go back to your catch up with your ex girlfriend" I said 'catch up' in inverted commas

"What are you talking about?" he asked grabbing me again

"Just leave me alone Ryan!" I screamed and stormed off, I heard him calling after me; his footsteps started behind me but then I heard his bitch of an ex- girlfriend say 'Leave her, she needs to calm down; lets finish lunch' and then him agreeing. I carried on walking, not looking back. I stayed at the park for hours and watched as the sun went down, something I would never have been able to do in Morganville. I declined all my friends' calls, I just couldn't face talking to anyone yet…I was still getting my head around it all. I looked down at my phone, it was now 11.30pm; I hadn't eaten or drank anything all day, but right now I didn't care. I laid down on the tyre swing and slowly swung backwards and forward letting the tears run wild. My phone rang again and looked at the caller ID, it was Eve. I wasn't expecting her to phone, I mean I knew the others would phone. Ryan had phoned about 20 times apologising and asking me to come home and the others had said similar things too. I flipped open my phone and continued swinging.

"Hello?" I asked with a croak, my voice was always this way when I hadn't spoken in a while or I'd been crying.

"CB, where are you? What's wrong? Ryan called me saying you were upset and hadn't come home, is it…is it something to do with your results…is something wrong?" She asked and I could hear the others asking the same things, she must've put it on loud speaker

"No, it's not the results; I'm perfectly fine" I lied, I couldn't tell them, especially Shane, he'd already lost everyone he's ever loved; I couldn't take his babies away from him too.

"Then what is it?"

Shit! Come on Claire think… "It's just Ryan promised to come with me, he's knows I hate hospitals and was worried about my results but we bumped into his ex and he blew me off to go 'catch up' with her"

"Oh CB…"

"I think he still loves her Eve, no; I know he does, I could see it in his eyes. Why is it me who always gets hurt? Why do I always get my heart broken? What have I done to deserve all this?" I chocked on my tears

"Oh Claire, I'm so sorry; I wish I was there to comfort you"

"Me too" I replied, we were both crying

"Claire they're really worried, why don't you go home and talk to them?"

"I can't…at least not yet, can…can you phone them and tell them I'm ok? Please, just don't mention anything I said about Ryan"

"Claire…"

"Please Eve? I just…I just really need to be alone for a bit longer"

"Ok, I'll do it now; you just stay safe and call us soon"

"Ok, thank you"

"That's ok CB love you"

"Love you too" I replied and hung up. I was still swinging, crying about my babies; about my failure of a life…until I fell asleep.


	42. Chapter 42

Ryan's Pov:

We were walking from the studio to the car park, we were going to get the results and then go to the cinema, and I know how much Claire hates hospitals and how worried she was about all of this so I wanted to go with her. We were walking in silence, not the uncomfortable kind but the peaceful kind. I had an arm wrapped around her shoulders, her body pulled close to mine. I still couldn't believe that I was actually dating Claire, we've been friends forever and I never felt this way about her before but she's grown up a lot since we were younger and she's just so…so mature and not to mention god damn sexy. I'd gone with her to the recording studio this morning because we were going straight to the hospital afterwards and to be honest I really didn't mind sitting in the office bit whilst Claire sang in the booth for 4 hours, she had the voice of an angel and I just loved listening to her sing. I looked down at Claire, she had her worried face on, I hated seeing her like this; it scared the shit out of me and all I wanted to do was make it better. Just as I was about to kiss her head when I heard someone shouting my name, I looked a head of me to see the most beautiful person running towards me. Oh my god it's Amber! I separated from Claire and pulled her into a hug, swinging her around and listening to her angelic laugh. At that moment she was the only thing in my world.

"Amber? Is that you?"

"Yeh, long time no see" she smiled and pulled backwards but we still didn't separate

"God it's been forever, I've missed you" I said and pulled her into another hug. I really have missed her, I love her so much…wait no! I loved her so much…no love, I dunno what I feel, do I still love her?

"Oh so you're Amber, I've heard so much about you" Claire said trying to keep the anger out of my voice

"Yeh that's me, so you are?" the angelic voice spoke

"Claire, Ryan's girlfriend"

"Oh right" she said and turned back to me

"We've only just started going out" I said quickly, I don't know why, probably because I do still love her…but I'm with Claire! I love her…but I don't and I never have, it's always been Amber

"Cool" she replied trying to keep the upset out of her voice but she failed miserably making me all mushy inside

"So, are you seeing anyone?" I asked hopefully, I didn't even care that Claire was standing right next to me.

"Nope, I never really felt the same after you" she smiled at me and I smiled back. Yes! She's single, there's still a chance for me.

"Yeh, me neither" I whispered still looking into her eyes, Claire cleared her throat. God what did she want?

"Um…Claire, you don't mind if I stay and catch up with Amber do you?" I asked before turning back to Amber

"Oh…but I thought we were going to the cinema after I got my results?" she replied, I didn't really pay attention to what she said, I was going to go regardless of whether she was happy or not.

"Yeh but we can do that whenever, I just haven't seen Amber in ages" I replied

"Oh well…"

"Thanks Claire, I'll see you later" I said before she could start moaning, I grabbed Amber's arm and pulled her along with me. We headed to the red lobster talking about old times and ordered some food.

"So Claire seems nice" she said

"Yeh she is, it's fun but nothing compared to what I feel for you, that's all its ever been; I supposed you could say she's more like a little sister to me" I told her

"Oh so you sleep with your little sister do you?" she laughed

"No, well you know what I mean"

"Err…no I don't actually" she laughed again making me tingle inside

"Well, she's just come out of a relationship…well actually a marriage and she's pregnant with twins; we were both lonely but I missed you so I hooked up with her to try and forget you but it didn't work, it's just a bit of fun…nothing serious" I finished

"Are you sure she knows this because she looked pretty pissed"

"I dunno, I think she still loves Shane"

"Shane?"

"Her husband, soon to be ex-husband and the father of her children; also a cheating bastard"

"I see, and you said you weren't jealous at all"

"I'm not, I've never loved Claire, she's a good friend; she's a kid"

"Obviously not seeing as she's got 2 on the way and you were sleeping with her"

"I love you; I've never stopped loving you"

"Me neither" she replied and I pulled her into a kiss. We continued eating and joking about old times, I felt happy; don't get me wrong, I was happy with Claire but it was only a bit of fun… you know sex, no strings attached but then I did get attached, I can't deny that but I do love Amber…not Claire, I'm sure of that. I was about to say something when I saw Claire, she looked awful; her face all red and puffy, she'd been crying.

"Claire, what's wrong? What happened?" I asked worriedly

"Nothing for you to worry about; you just go back to having fun with your ex, I'm perfectly fine" she almost growled making me flinch backwards, she was upset; was it because of me? Because I didn't stay with her?

"Claire what's wrong? I don't understand…" I started but she cut me off

"What were we meant to get today Ryan?" I thought for a second but couldn't think of anything

"What, I mean that little to you that you can't even remember? Well don't worry anymore, it no longer your problem; I went to get the results on my own" she snarled at me, pulling free from my grip and carried on walking. How could I forget about her results! She'd been so upset about it, we'd all been worried; Claire was really sick and I can't believe I didn't go with her…I promised her. I got out from behind the table and pulled her back, everyone watching us.

"Get off me; I'm not in the mood" she screamed

"What did the doctor say?" I asked

"What so now you're worried about me? Well never mind it's a bit late now" what does she mean by that; she can't be dying could she? No she couldn't, she probably means it's too late for us, as in we're finished.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just go back to your catch up with your ex girlfriend" she said 'catch up' in inverted commas, she was jealous, but how did she know I still loved her?

"What are you talking about?" I asked grabbing her again

"Just leave me alone Ryan!" she shouted and took off down the street. Shit! Why did I ditch her when she needed me most? I know I love Amber but she left me, I promised I'd be there for Claire and I've let her down. I was about to get up and go after her when Amber placed her hand on my arm and said "Leave her, she needs to calm down; lets finish lunch" and we did. I had a fantastic time, I felt something I haven't felt in ages and I don't know how to explain it. After we had lunch I took Amber to the cinema to see the film Claire and I were supposed to see. It was actually a really good film, I thought seeing as Claire picked it, it would probably be boring but I really enjoyed it. I should've really seen it with Claire, I will bad now; I don't know why I should, I mean she almost ripped my head off earlier! Being pregnant makes her really angry sometimes, her mood swings are all over the place, one minute she'll be singing and dancing around the house and the next she'll be trying to hit you and screaming at the top of her lungs! I just can't keep up with it. I turned to Amber.

"Hey do you wanna come back to mine?" I asked

"I don't think that's a good idea, I mean you're going out with Claire and she's really pissed…"

"I'm gunna end it with her tonight and I know all the guys miss you, especially Becky" I almost begged

"Alright then, let's go"

"Wait do you have a car with you? We took Claire's car"

"Why?"

"Because she had to go to the studio to record so she drove…"

"Wait record!" she asked

"Yeh…Claire got signed, she's producing her own album"

"Really?"

"Yeh…so do you have a car?"

"Yep…let's go"

It didn't take long to reach her car which was good because it was getting quite cold outside…not to mention dark. It was 9.30pm now, so Claire should've calmed down by now. I turned on my phone and saw that I had 12 missed calls all from Becky and Aidan. I listened to Becky's first. 'Hey, I was just wondering how today went, Claire said she'd phone about her results but she isn't answering, probably because you're in the cinema but anyway when you get this ring me'. Wait, what? Claire wasn't home? When was this? I looked at the time, Becky had phoned about an hour ago and Claire wasn't home? Well maybe she's back now; I mean it has been an hour. As we pulled up on the drive I noticed Claire's car wasn't there, maybe it was in the garage? We got out and walked up to the house, I unlocked and just caught Becky in time before we both fell over.

"Claire, we've been calling…wait, where's Claire?" she asked

"She's not home?" I asked, ok now I was worried

"No, she should be with you, you were going to the studio, the hospital and then the cinema…where is she?"

"I...I...I didn't go, I went to have lunch with Amber instead"

"What!" she almost screamed

"What?"

"Please tell em you're joking and Claire's going to pop out in a minute and shout boo!"

"No, why?"

"You fucking dickhead!" she screamed and lunged for me but Aidan pulled her back. "You know how scared Claire was, she asked you to go with her and you promised! You even took football practise off! Why the fuck didn't you go?"

"Well…after the studio we kinda bumped into Amber and I wanted to catch up so…I did"

"YOU SELFISH PIECE OF SHIT!" she bellowed so loud it echoed throughout the house before lunging at me again

"What?"

"Oh my god Aidan we need to look for her! Something must be wrong if she isn't back" Becky was almost in tears "You know how worried she was, she cried herself to sleep for days, she sleeps with the fucking scan photo because she's that scared. We asked you to one thing for us, to go with her; you kicked up such a fuss about being the only one to go because you were her boyfriend and it shouldn't be too crowded when she got them and you didn't even go"

"I just tried ringing her, she's not answering" Jack cut in

"We need to go look for her" Becky cried

"She's a big girl, she'll be ok" I said

"Don't…just don't speak to me, I don't even want to see you right now"

We all sat and waited for her to come home but she didn't, hours passed and it was now 2am, I have to say I was really worried now. We kept phoning her but she never answered, I was just about to ring again when the doorbell sounded. She all jumped up to get it, when we turned round the corner towards the front door we saw flashing lights through the door and we all froze. Jack answered the door.

"Hello? How can we help you?"

"Can we come in; it's about your roommate Claire Danvers?"

"Yes of course, come in" Jack replied and motioned for him to enter, the doctor from the hospital followed him.

"Is Claire here?" they asked

"No, why?" Jack asked

"I told her, her results earlier today and I told her to come home and speak to you about them…"

"What? Why? What's wrong with her?" I asked

"I'm sorry; I can't give that information out to friends, relatives only"

"I'm her cousin" Becky cut in

"I'm sorry but immediate family only, anyway, I finished my shift about an hour ago and found Claire's car still at the hospital and I thought something was wrong. The news I told her was pretty hard to take in and she was distraught, she even collapsed but when I found her car in the lot, I got worried" he finished, shit! Why didn't I go with her? The police said they would continue looking for her, even though she's only been gone a couple of hours, the doctor had told them what was wrong with Claire and that she was pregnant so they said they'd bend the rules. We phoned her friends in Morganville, Eve said she'd phone her to see what had happened and that she's phone us back but when Eve did phone back she said that Claire said the results her fins and that she couldn't come back yet she wouldn't say why. None of us went to bed, although we did drift off to sleep at some time during the night…or well morning. Amber stayed too; she slept on the sofa with me.


	43. Chapter 43

Claire's Pov:

I woke up the next morning to little kids laughing and screaming as they went round and round on the roundabout, I felt a pain shoot through my chest because I may never get to see my children playing, I could lose them; or I could die. Tears flowed from my eyes like a waterfall; I was surprised that I could still cry, I've cried so much that there shouldn't be any tears left. I was ice cold, I hadn't had a jacket on because yesterday morning it was really hot so I left my jacket in the car, I'd fallen asleep on the tyre swing and stayed there all night, my whole body was blue, I looked like a walking corpse and I wasn't lucky either, the sun wasn't even out; it was just me and the wind…and the rain when it started. I made my way back over to the hospital, keys in hand ready to drive home, only when I got there, the car was gone. I searched the whole car park in case somehow I'd forgotten where I'd parked it, but there was no sign of it. I guess I was walking. My battery had died so there was no chance I could get a lift from one of the guys. It was a long way back to the house and the whether didn't ease up; I'd be very surprised if I hadn't caught pneumonia. I was so cold and sore that I got to the point where it hurt to walk…well it hurt to move really but I knew I had to get home, they'd be worried about me, maybe not Ryan but the others definitely would. As I turned down my street after two hours of walking I saw my shiny red car on the drive way. I fumbled around my pocket for my keys and unlocked the front door. I had only just closed it when I heard Becky scream and run full speed towards me. I was too weak to move out of the way so her warm arms pulled me into a bone crushing hug.

"Jesus Claire you're freezing! Where the hell have you been?" she asked worriedly and rushed me into the living room. Jack and Aidan appeared from the kitchen with Lucy trailing behind them. I wondered where Ryan was, I knew he wouldn't have cared; I was just about to head over to the sofa to lay down when I saw Amber and Ryan snuggled up together fast asleep on it. I gasped loudly waking them up.

"Claire!" Ryan cried and jumped up to hug me but I pushed him away

"Fucking hell, you're freezing" he said but I ignored him, I walked back out of the room and walked lazily towards the stairs very slowly because I could collapse at any second.

"What the hell Claire! You start shouting at me yesterday and then you scare us all to death when you don't come home last night; then when you do come home you don't say a thing to any of us!" he yelled in my face, his grip of my arm tightening

"Get. Your. Hands. Off. Me. Now!" I yelled and he stepped back.

"Claire what happened?" he whispered again

"You wanna know what happened…you really wanna know what happened, well ok then BOYFRIEND I'll tell you!" I screamed, they were all looking at me "You knew how frightened I was about these results, you promised me you'd come with me and you broke that promise. You decided to catch up with your ex and tell her how much you still loved her, you even said to her right in front of my face that you've never felt the way she made you feel, and then I even heard you say I was just fun, do you remember saying 'it's just a bit of fun, you know sex, no strings attached' oh and I even remember a kiss. You're a bloody hypocrite, you shouted at Shane for cheating when you cheated too!" I roared, no one said anything. "I sat in my car and debated whether to go in alone or phone Becky to come, but I knew if I did that I'd be late so I went in alone and do you know what they told me? No…well have a guess! I needed you in there; I needed you to hold me and tell me that I was going to be ok, me and the babies. I needed you there to catch me when I collapsed after the doctor told me that there was a huge risk that all three of us would die. He told me that the only chance I had to survive was to kill my babies…he told me that I had stomach cancer! I had to find out alone, you think you had it hard, you think the feelings you had when I didn't come home last night where bad, you have no fucking idea how I felt! My whole world came crashing down in the space of 1 hour…I'm going to die, my babies could survive but I won't and I'll never see them grow up…do you know how that makes me feel!" I screeched at the top of my lungs before collapsing to the ground, my cheeks were wet and my body was cold. Everyone was looking at me, crying. Ryan looked guilty, he stepped towards me.

"Don't, I can't take anymore hurt; just go…it's over, you can have her; I know you love her…don't take that for granted because you never know when you're gunna lose it all…you never know when you're gunna die" I whispered

"Claire I'm so…"

"Don't even say those words…we both know you're not, just go…now please" and he did, he grabbed Amber's hand and took her up to his room. As soon as the door slammed shut I screamed out, a whole new set of tears exploded from my eyes. Becky knelt down beside me and rocked me backwards and forwards.

"I'm going to make you a hot chocolate and make you some food ok? I'll be 5 minutes" she whispered to me before heading into the kitchen. Jack took her place, pulling me into his arms, rubbing the warmth back into my body and pulling the blanket over me. I never moved from Jack's lap, I ate and drank in silence before falling asleep in his arms.

When I woke up I was back in my bed, someone had changed me…probably Becky and I was wrapped up in so many duvets that I was actually lost. I scrambled out of bed and only just made my way to the toilet in time…damn morning sickness! I looked at the clock, it was 1 pm the next day; I guess I must've been really tired. My body was still aching and I felt like absolute shit. I kept sneezing; I was still cold even with all the blankets and my head hurt. My stomach groaned loudly, I was so hungry, I understand why; I had slept through lunch, and dinner and breakfast. I couldn't be bothered to change out of my pyjamas. I couldn't be bothered to do anything. I know I was meant to be at the studio, I'd already missed yesterday's session and I have missed half of todays too. A couple of days ago that would've made be upset and angry but now…I don't care, what's the point when you're going to die? I made my way sluggishly down the stairs, trying to keep myself from falling; my legs still felt like jelly. No one was in the living room but I heard chatter coming from the kitchen. I was quiet so they didn't know I was listening. 'I can't believe she has stomach cancer' Becky said 'I can't believe she could die', 'I can't believe Ryan's was such a dick that he didn't go with her' Jack said, I could always count on Jack to take my side. 'What do you think she's gunna do? The doctor told us the options' Ryan said

'I dunno, I know this sounds really bad but I hope she decides to terminate the babies…I mean she can always have more right?' Becky said and I thought at that moment it was my cue to go in so I slowly pushed open the door.

"I've decided I'm keeping the babies, if there's a chance they'll survive then I'll take it, I don't care if I die" I said and they all looked at me

"But Claire you can't, the doctor said there's an extremely low survival rate"

"I know, I don't care; he also told me that even if I had the termination there's still a low chance I'll survive so if I'm going to die anyway I might as well bring two new lives into the world"

"Please Claire think about this…" Becky pleaded

"There's nothing to think about, it's my life and if I want to die for my children then that's what I'm going to do and you guys can't stop me"

"Maybe we can't but your parents can…I'll even call Shane" Becky said

"He's one of the reasons I'm doing this, he's already lost his whole family, I can't let him lose his children too…I won't"

"You're sacrificing yourself for a guy that cheated on you!" Ryan cried

"He's not the only one that cheated though is he? And no I'm not just doing this for him; I'm doing it for the twins"

"You can't be serious Claire, no, you're not doing it; I won't let you" Ryan protested

"And what gives you the right to decide for me? You're not a relative and as of yesterday you're not my boyfriend so you have no say in my decision"

"Please Claire we don't want to lose you" Lucy said

"Yeh, and I don't want to lose my babies; we can't always get what we want"

"Just talk to Shane, he'll understand if you tell him you're going to die…" Becky started

"No! He's not gunna know, none of them are ok? They'll all tell me to have a termination and I'm not doing it…I need some people to talk to who don't know I'm sick so I'm not constantly being felt sorry for…I need them to stay normal"

"They have a right to know…"

"Look this is my decision and my decision only seeing as I'm the one who's carrying the twins. I'm going to live a normal life for the next 6/7 months and that's final" I finished the conversation and made my way over to the fridge making myself some lunch.

That's what's going to happen, Shane, Eve and Michael aren't being told about my cancer, I'm going to make my album even if it kills me, pardon the pun and I'm going to enjoy a last 6/7 months of my life.


	44. Chapter 44

Claire's Pov:

It has now been 5 months since I found out I had stomach cancer, Ryan and I were back on good terms and he was still dating Amber. Aidan had proposed to Becky after realising that life was too short and I'm now 7 months pregnant. Only one month left until judgment day; am I going to live ore am I going to die? Doctor Jenson has been great these last 5 months; he's been helping me through all of it. At first the pain was bearable but towards the later stages of my pregnancy it got excruciating so I was constantly being sedated, even though I was 7 months pregnant I wasn't as big as I should've been, Dr Jenson said it was another cancer symptom; instead of gaining weight like I should be doing during pregnancy I'm losing it. Don't get me wrong I'm fat, like I can't fit in my clothes fat but I'm not bursting at the seams fat. My mum and dad have been there for me too, I'd got in touch with them a week after I found out and they came to me at once; I mean they weren't happy that their 19 year old daughter had got knocked up but they still loved and supported me.

_Flashback:_

_I was sitting on my bed; the door locked keeping Ryan from speaking to me, the pain I felt was so overwhelming that I couldn't hold them in any more. The tears rushed from my eyes uncontrollably. I'd put on a brave face to my friends, reassuring them that I was ok with dying if it meant saving my babies; but deep down I felt the complete opposite. I've never felt so afraid and alone in my whole life. I'd have dreams of my children growing up without me, with another woman playing mummy and I hated it. I hated the fact that I might never get to see them or that they'll never know me but I was willing to put my feelings aside. I needed to put my feelings aside, my babies needed to live; not just because it's what I want but also because they're all Shane has left. Even though he hurt me, I'm prepared to sacrifice myself to make him happy, to make him feel whole. I pulled out my iPod in order to block out Ryan's apologies. No one understood, they couldn't possibly understand because they aren't the ones having the babies. Only a mother could understand. After that thought, I realised that I needed my mother; I needed my parents to hold me and tell me everything was going to be ok…even though I knew it probably wouldn't. I needed them to help the others understand. So I pulled my headphones out, wiped away my tears and rummaged around in my bag for my mobile. _

"_Hello?" my mother's quiet voice said into the speaker_

"_Mum" I almost whispered, afraid that if I raised my voice the tears would start up again_

"_Claire? Honey is that you?"_

"_Yeh mum it's me" I replied softly_

"_Oh god, I've missed hearing your voice, it's been ages; how have you been? How are you and Shane?"_

_I knew the dryness of my eyes wouldn't last_

"_Oh mum, I need you…I...everything has fallen apart…I...I need my mum" I cried down the phone_

"_Claire, sweetie what's wrong? What did Shane do? Tell me please"_

"_He…he cheated on me mum"_

"_That bastard!" she yelled, I'd never heard my mum swear before. "When?"_

"_He…before the wedding, it was going on for about 3 months mum! In my bed" I cried harder_

"_Oh sweetie…" she started but I cut her off_

"_That's not all mum, I...I left Morganville, a lot has happened and I can't say it all on the phone but I need you"_

"_Of course honey, tell me where you are and we'll come"_

"_I'm staying with Becky, you know Uncle Tommy's daughter…in Hollywood"_

"_Yes, I know it, I think I have the address written down somewhere…you stay on the phone Claire and I'll get your father to drive us there right now…you just tell me what's happened"_

_I sucked in a huge breath, I was gunna need it with what I have to tell her._

"_I'm pregnant mum, with twins; two months gone to be precise" I said quickly hoping she wouldn't hear…but she did. I heard her gasp on the other end of the phone._

"_Oh Claire…" I cut her off again_

"_Before you say anything mum, we are…were married"_

"_I know but only just"_

"_We didn't plan it mum, I'm so scared, I...I had some problems" I replied_

"_What kind of problems? Are you ok? Are the babies ok?"_

"_No mum, we're not…I...I have stomach cancer and they think I'm going to die…mum I need you please"_

"_Oh my god, my beautiful baby" she started to cry which only made me cry harder "It's going to be ok, we're on our way; you…you just try and get some sleep and we'll talk some more when we get there ok?"_

"_Ok mum, hurry…please; I love you" I chocked out_

"_I love you too Claire and I'll be as fast as I can" I hung up, closed my eyes and fell into deep sleep. _

_End of flashback._

My parents arrived later that not and I told them everything, including what I was planning to do. They weren't happy about it but when I explained to my mum she said that even though she hates the idea of me giving up and dying she'd probably do the same if it was her, my dad on the other hand was furious. He wouldn't speak to me for days, I even caught him crying! It took me a while to finally persuade him that what I'm doing was for the best but we finally got there.

I moved out! Yeh I know, big stuff right, after about 4 months I decided I needed my own place, the twins would need a place to live regardless of whether I was alive or not. I'd had a few concerts which paid extremely well, like $250,000 each one, so therefore my house was huge; containing everything and anything a person could want. Another reason for my living arrangements was because of Ryan and Amber, a part of me was still angry at him because he cheated on me but another part of me still kinda loved him; even though my love for him was no where near as strong as what it was for Shane, it still hurt me to see them all lovey dovey. He was continuously apologising to me and about three days after I broke it off and found out I had cancer he asked me if he could still be in the twin's lives as a kinda father like figure. Let me just tell you that when those words escaped his cheating lips I almost doubled over in laughter, before shouting for about 10 minutes straight.

_Flashback:_

"_Claire please open the door, I really need to speak to you…to apologise" he shouted through my locked door_

"_Go the fuck away Ryan!" I screamed "I don't want to talk to you"_

"_Please Claire"_

"_What's left to say apart from you're just the same as Shane, a liar and a cheat! You broke your promise and you broke my heart. The only difference between you and Shane was that Shane actually loved me, I was just a sex toy to you!" I yelled_

"_What? No of course you weren't Claire…"_

"_Oh shut up you dickhead, I heard you say that so there's no point in denying it; you said I was just a bit of fun, you know sex, no strings attached…do you remember now?"_

"_Claire…I...I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you"_

"_Yeh well you did…don't worry I'll be dead in about 7 months so you won't have to worry about hurting me, you can be around Amber as much as you want"_

"_Don't say that" he almost growled_

"_Why not? You and I both know it's true, hey I've got an idea, why don't I let you two be all loved up even sooner? Ok then, well as soon as I get some money together I'm moving out…you're welcome to each other" I finished and he looked at me with a shocked expression_

"_You don't have to do that"_

"_Oh don't act like this isn't what you want, I mean you might as well move her in already; you obviously don't care about hurting me"_

"_Claire I love you…just like a sister"_

"_Oh, so you have sex with your sister then…no? Yeh I didn't think so" I turned to leave for the kitchen, to get away from everyone's stares._

"_At least let me be in their lives, I dunno like a father figure and Amber can be…" I laughed when he said the first part but my laughter soon stopped when he nearly said Amber could be a mother figure. I growled at him and then slapped him so hard in the face._

"_You think I'm gunna let my children be raised by cheating sleazebag and a dumb slag? You need your head tested if you think that, the only way you'd be parent figures is if I wanted the twins to grow up as prostitutes or scumbags and to be honest I really don't want that for MY kids, yeh MINE, not Ryan's and Amber's! so no, you won't be parent figures and if I do die, then the twins will go to their REAL father not someone like you!" I yelled the ending and then stormed off, everyone but Ryan and Amber were laughing._

_End of flashback. _

Shane was doing well too, so I've heard. Eve had told me that Michael had made him realise what was important and Shane pulled himself together and he's now the proud owner of 'Smokey Joe's' even though it's now called 'Collins Cookout', he apparently earns a lot of money, more than both Eve and Michael put together. He's also opened up his own nightclub, apparently 'Pulse' was the hottest club in Morganville. His new businesses also provided jobs for Michael and Eve as well as saving money for the twins future.

_Flashback:_

_I was in the middle of practising for a concert when my phone rang…Shane._

"_Hello?" I asked_

"_Hey Claire, I know this probably isn't the time but I'll be quick. I was just wondering if you minded me open separate bank accounts for the twins…so that I can put some money away for them. I know you've already opened one but I'd like to contribute too. I also know that the money I make and save is going to seem my nothing to what you earn but I'm trying and I'd really like to help…so any objections?" he asked rather quickly, I even found myself crying. I don't know why, probably because he really was trying and he felt like a complete loser._

"_Shane, why would I have a problem with that? I know you love them and I don't care that you can't afford to give them as much as me, the main thing is that you're actually trying and are willing to save some money for them"_

"_What so it's ok?"_

"_It's fine Shane" I laughed_

"_Oh ok then, thanks"_

_End of flashback._

I guess that's another thing I've got to check out when I go back to Morganville, I would definitely like to see Shane's restaurant and nightclub, I never thought I'd see the day Shane Collins owned his own businesses. Mum and dad had moved in with me, they insisted after my last 'incident', they were meant to be coming over for dinner with the others but when they arrived at the house they found me unconscious in a pool of my own blood, yeh…let's just say they were…upset? And basically took over my house and well…life. I've finally finished my album, it's called 'Love Hurts' inspired by the one and only Shane Collins and it will be released next week! God I'm so excited, it just doesn't feel real…me a superstar! It's taken a while to get everything recorded and let me tell you that it hasn't been easy, with the cancer, the babies and the long hours; there's been loads of tears and practises, I swear my mum and dad are just about ready to flip. I do feel bad about it but hey, it's not like I can help it; the hormones are out of control! Anyway back to the CD, after months of recording in the studio I've produced 12 incredible songs if I may say so myself:

Fight for this love

Every time we touch

Close to you

Crazy for you

Heal this heartbreak

Beat again

Kickstart

Only making love

Bleeding love

Love the way you lie

I'll never love again

Grenade

Everyone's eager to hear it but I've decided to keep it to myself until I get the first few copies. Eve, I think is the most excited, if I'm not recording in the studio or eating something I'm on the phone to Eve, listening to her crazy chatter about how proud she is that her best friend's a famous singer. I don't mind though because it takes my mind off possibly dying. I've enjoyed making my CD, it made me feel…almost normal? Even though being famous isn't normal, it's more normal than anything I would've been doing in Morganville. At least it was something everyone could believe…telling someone I worked for a bipolar vampire and helped make a mind erasing machine on the other hand wasn't exactly convincing. The good thing about my album is that I wrote all the songs and they all came from the heart, they mean something to me; I'm not in this for the money…although it will help with the twins, it's about expressing myself; something I've never been able to…that is until now. I'm visiting Morganville next month for a concert, I'm so excited but also terrified. It doesn't exactly hold the best memories; if I wasn't getting kidnapped or nearly killed I was on a deadly mission or being cheated on. The only good thing about this visit was being able to see my friends again! That reminds me, I need to phone Eve to tell her.

"Hello?" she angrily spoke down the phone

"Eve? Oh…sorry if you're pissed I'll just phone you back to…" I didn't get to finish

"CB!" she screamed

"Yeh its me"

"Oh god I'm so sorry I was angry it's just Michael and Shane I going round to Rad's for a guys night and I'm all alone…another reason why you need to get your sexy ass back here"

"Speaking of that, I have great news…I'm coming back to Morganville for a concert next month!" I screamed loudly, which then made her scream too

"You'd better not be lying CC because if you are I will kick your pregnant ass" she used the name CC when she was annoyed at me, to her I'm usually CB but to my fans it's CC- Claire Collins. Shane and I hadn't got a divorce yet so when I got signed I had to use his last name, the only problem, is if we do get a divorce it will confuse all my fans if I change back to Danvers so I guess I'm stuck with it. To be honest, I quite liked the name CC; it was like my own celebrity name, like Jennifer Lopez is JLo.

"No I'm not lying Eve, it's true I'm coming next month, Amelie phoned and asked; don't ask me why because I didn't ask questions I was just too damn excited about getting to see you"

"AHHHHHH" she screamed again making me laugh

"I know, it's been months"

"Yeh like 5 months…oh god I've got to tell Michael and Shane!" she yelled and before I could say anything I heard Shane's angelic voice in the background

'Tell me and Mikey what?'

'That CC, a.k.a our CB is coming to Morganville next month for a concert'

'What? Seriously'

'Yeh, oh god I'm so excited and there's so much to do…'

"Err…Eve, still here you know"

"Oh sorry Claire, totally got lost in all the excitement; I just can't believe I get to see you again…to see how much you've changed"

"You mean to see how fat I've got"

"Hey, I don't care if you're the size of a house, only that you and my nieces or nephews are ok" guilt coursed through my body, my heart pounded loudly in my chest…we weren't ok

"CB? You still there?"

"Yeh sorry…just thinking"

"Oh ok, I can't believe it! I know you sent me photos and everything and I'm continuously seeing you of the TV but it's going to be even better seeing you in person" she squealed

"I know, I've missed you so much"

"Me too, hey have you decided what photo you're using?"

"Yep…and before you ask, no you can't see it; I'm sending you a copy in a couple of days, you get one of the first copies before they even go on sale"

"Oh my god I love you" she cried making me laugh again

"I love you too…anyway I've got to go and feed my babies, enjoy the rest of your evening and I'll call you soon"

"Yeh, ok speak to you later; bye" and I hung up

Oh shit! I've been so excited about seeing Eve and Michael that I totally forgot that I'd be seeing Shane again! Was I ready to see him again? Would it still hurt me? Of course it will! Oh god I'm not ready, I can't go…but I've already told Eve and she's so excited. What have I done?


	45. Chapter 45

Claire's Pov:

I had been practising non stop for the past couple of weeks, I was so excited about going back to Morganville tonight, and yeh I never thought I'd ever miss Morganville but I guess friends change that. Everything was packed and I was ready to leave, I was only going to be there for a week tops yet I've packed about 6 suitcases…no exaggeration. I suppose I have and excuse though, I have all my accessories for the concert as well as my normal stuff…then there's their presents. I'd gotten Eve a one of a kind CC dress, personally designed for my gothic friend. It was short, blood red, black and lacy; it came to mid thigh so it wasn't too slutty, and the top half allowed some cleavage to show but again not enough to make her look like a prostitute. The good thing about this dress is that it didn't look too gothic so if I was that size I would definitely wear it. With the dress I'd also gotten her matching lacy 6 inch high heels, a huge diamond and ruby ring, the size of a grape that came with matching earrings, bracelet and necklace and to top it all off a matching clutch bag. You might be thinking that this is a bit of an extreme 'glad to see you again' present but it was also for her to wear to the concert, I know the press would follow me to Morganville to record the concert and I was going to spend most of my time with the glass house residents so I thought they should look amazing. I'd also gotten Michael and Shane outfits. Shane's outfit consisted of a white shirt; with a black waistcoat, a black skinny tie, black pants, shoes and a fedora…basically he would look like a sexy gangster. Michael's outfit I had made so it matched Eve's outfit, his was black pants with a matching dinner jacket, red shirt and black skinny tie. I have to admit that Eve's outfit was more expensive because she had all the accessories but what can I say, girls outfits always cost more. As well as the outfits I got Eve a new 16GB blood red Apple iPod nano with a camera because she'd been moaning that she'd broken her last one by accidentally putting it in the washing machine, I got Michael a new dark blue digital camera with 12 mega pixels because I remember him saying ages ago that the camera he had now only took blurry photos and I had proof of that with the photo that was on my bedside table and finally I had got Shane a black iPhone 4, 16GB on contract for 2 years, I know his cost the most but I thought that if I survived this cancer then he'd need to keep in contact with me; at least this way I know he has no excuse for not calling because he'll always have credit. I was on my plane, it wouldn't take me long to get to Morganville; I was sitting on the sofa eating pepperoni pizza and chips with a large coke to wash it down…I know it's very fatty but I do a lot of exercise to burn it off and if I'm going to die, I might as well enjoy my last month. Yep that's right…judgement day is next month. My friends and parents wanted to come with me, just to make sure Shane wouldn't give me any trouble but I told them no and that I'd be perfectly safe with my eight bodyguards protecting me. As I was thinking this I got a text from Eve:

_**Hey CB! I'm so excited bout you cumin & I've got a surprise for you, you're never gunna believe it! Love youu **____** x**_

_**p.s hurry up!**_

I wonder what the surprise could be. I hadn't even realised I was tired but the next thing I knew, Max my favourite bodyguard was shaking me to wake up; I looked up into his gorgeous crystal blue eyes and smiled.

"We're about to land, so you need to buckle up"

"Oh, ok; thanks Maxi"

"No problem Clairey" I laughed and stood up to make my way over to my seat, just as I stood up, the plane hit a bit of turbulence; I was sent flying into the seat. All my bodyguards as well as my personal doctor came rushing over to me.

"Clairey, are you ok?"

"Yeh, I'm fine"

"Are you sure?" the doctor asked

"Yes, I'm fine; look I promise that when I get to the Glass house, you can do a check up, ok?"

"Ok"

We finally landed and I felt at home. We hadn't told the press when I was actually arriving in Morganville so I didn't have any waiting for me when I got off the plane thank god. The bodyguards, unloaded my bags and placed them in my limo, two of my limos had been brought over to Morganville the other day so they'd be ready for when I arrived. I was in one with 4 bodyguards and then the other 2 went in the other limo with the cases. I suddenly felt sick, I was going to see them all again; I was going to see Shane after like 7/8 months…and I was freaking out. My palms were sweaty and I started finding it hard to breathe; a sharp pain in my chest.

"Hey, Clairey, it's gunna be fine; everything's going to be ok…just take deep breaths and clam down" Max whispered in my ear, pulling me into his chest and giving me a kiss on the forehead

"Thanks Maxi" I replied

Max was a really good friend of mine, he was only 21 and he was absolutely gorgeous; he wasn't just a bodyguard, he was one of my best friends; he's always there for me, whether it's for protection when I go out or when I need someone to hold my hand whilst at the hospital. He always knew how to calm me down and these past few months he was the only one I could really talk to, he understood; his mother had done something similar when she was pregnant with him. I found myself once again being gently shaken by Max, bringing me out of my thoughts I recognised I was outside the Glass house. The curtains were drawn so they couldn't see that I was here although I was pretty sure Michael would've heard my arrival. I pushed open the door quickly and pounded towards the door, it opened just in time for me to throw myself into Eve's arms. Oh my god! Eve wasn't a Goth anymore and shit! She looked fucking sexy! Her hair was a chocolaty brown, her makeup was no longer a ghostly white but a nice tanned colour, her eyes were no longer covered in heavy eyeliner but enough to make her gorgeous blue eyes pop out at you, her eye shadow was bold and it looked like something I'd have at a photo shoot. Her clothes! They were the biggest surprise; she was wearing light blue skinny jeans, a light pink corset with black flowers on it and black high heels.

"Oh my god Eve! You look so sexy! When did you change?"

"I know right, err…about 5 months ago, I woke up and realised that I didn't want to scare my nieces or nephews and I also realised that I looked so god damn awesome like this"

"I can't believe it; I look so ugly compared to you"

"Hell no you don't, Jesus aren't you meant to be like really fat?"

The smile dropped from my face and my body went cold, I didn't know how to reply; she was staring at me waiting for an answer but thank god Michael was there. Michael came and pulled me out of his arms before pulling me into his own bone crushing hug. He kissed my head whilst I rested my head on his chest. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Shane standing awkwardly against the wall. I pulled away from Michael and made my way over to Shane, I stood in front of him; both of us silent and crying. He examined my body quickly before looking back into my eyes, my heart was beating fast, all I wanted to do was jump into his arms…but I stopped myself. We both didn't know what to do or say.

"Hi" I whispered, breaking the silence

"Hey" he replied, hearing his voice in person and not just on the other end of the phone was like magic, that's all it took before I was in his arms. The tears were coming more rapidly as he stroked my hair. I could hear his heart beating just as fast as mine.

"Shhh, don't cry" he whispered, his voice shaky

I looked up into his eyes again and then he kissed me…I kissed back. Everything around me seemed to disappear; it was just me and Shane, kissing in each others arms. The kiss was filled with passion and hunger, I seriously would've ripped his clothes off right there and then but I heard someone clear their throat. I pulled away, feeling the blush creep onto my cheeks and turned to see Michael and Eve with goofy smiles on their faces. I stepped out of Shane's arms and walked back over to the door, as far away from his as possible…that shouldn't have happened. We were all looking at each other until I heard my name being called.

"Clairey, where do you want me to put your bags" Max said

"Oh…um…I dunno, leave them there for now; I still dunno where I'm staying yet" I said and he nodded

"You're staying here aren't you?" Eve asked sounding like a little girl

"I dunno…is that ok? And will we all fit?"

"Who's he?" Shane almost growled

"I'm Max; you must be the dick who broke her heart"

"Piss off; you don't know anything about Claire and I"

"Oh trust me, I know a lot about both of you; I live with Claire"

"CB? Do you?" Eve asked

"Yeh, he's my bodyguard and one of my best friends…Hollywood best friends that is, you guys are my Morganville best friends"

"He is gorgeous" Eve said and blushed

"I know right" I replied and winked at Max, he blew me a kiss, making Shane growl again

"Look mate, you've got to grow up; I'm friends with Claire, I live with Claire; I'm there for Claire…all because you weren't" Max said and Shane ran at him before anyone could react. He went to punch Max but Max grabbed his wrist and squeezed. See what Shane didn't realize was that Max had been in the army so he was well trained.

"Before you do anything else stupid mate, I'm gunna warn you that I was in the army, started when I was 18 so I can beat you blindfolded and second, I've crushed a guys bones just by squeezing his hand in mine…so I wouldn't start if I were you"

"Shane, stop it now and Max, please let him go"

They both did as they were told, the rest of my bodyguards must've heard me scream because they all ran inside, guns out scanning the room for a threat; all 5 of them circled me protectively so that no one could see me, or get to me.

"Guys, it's ok; I'm fine, there's no threat" I whispered, my whole body shaking. They didn't seem to believe me.

"Men, back down; she's right, there's no threat here" Max said, even though he was the youngest he was in charge and all the older men listened to him. They put their guns down and dispersed from the circle.

"Wow CB, you got yourself 6 gorgeous personal bodyguards; I wish I was you" she winked and I laughed

"Hey, Eve, yeh it's me Michael; your boyfriend and I'm standing right here you know, I'm the only gorgeous guy you should be looking at"

Eve put her arm around his waist and kissed him.

"You're the only guy for me"

"That's what I like to hear"

"So, err…I can put my stuff in my old room?"

"Oh yeh, that's fine"

I went to grab one of the suitcases but Max pulled it from my hand

"Hey! What are you doing? I was taking that upstairs" I moaned and he smiled

"I don't think so, you're 8 months pregnant and with everything that's going on; you're not lifting anything" I suddenly felt my blood go cold, for one minute I'd totally forgotten about the cancer; I was happy. Max must've noticed the change because he dropped the bags and pulled me into a hug.

"I'm sorry Claire, I didn't think; I'm just worried about you and I didn't mean to make you sad"

"It's ok, you're right; I shouldn't have been so stupid"

"You're not stupid" he kissed my head and wiped my tears, when he pulled away Shane, Michael and Eve were all looking at me

"CB, what's wrong? What was all that about?"

"Oh nothing, I...I just had a bit of an accident on the plane, we were about to land and I went to sit in my seat but there was turbulence and I fell forward and hit my stomach" I lied quickly, even though it actually happened.

"Oh CB, are you ok? Are the twins ok?"

"I'm sure I'm fine, don't worry about me I..." I started but Eve cut me off

"Why don't you go to hospital and have a check up?" Eve said

"I have my doctor with me; he'll give me a check up"

"Wait you have a doctor with you? Why? What's wrong?" Shane asked worriedly

"Oh nothing…it's just when you get to a certain stage in pregnancy you shouldn't really be flying in case anything happens but I had my doctor come with me just in case"

"Oh" Shane said

"So anyway doc, shall we go to my room for this check up?" I asked hopefully

"Yes, let me just get my equipment from the car"

"I'll be upstairs" and I quickly escaped from the living room and away from all their questions. I opened my door and sat down on my bed, all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry…but I couldn't, I know they'd all want to talk to me so I guess the crying will have to wait. The door opened and Dr Jenson (Brad) came in.

"How are you feeling?" he asked

"I feel fine, honestly"

"Well, lets just be on the safe side shall we?" I nodded and let him start. After about 10 minutes he'd finished.

"You haven't been having any pains have you?"

"Just the usual" I replied and gave him a weak smile

"The usual pain might is still horrendous, we both know how you are with it"

"I know, but I'm all drugged out right now so I can handle it"

"On the scale, what are you? Remember 1 is excruciating and 10 is excellent"

"I'd say about a 6, maybe a 7" I lied, it was more a 4 or 5 but I know if I told him that he'd tell me I'd need to be taken to hospital

"Ok, but if it gets any worse you need to tell me; this late in the pregnancy and the pain is going to get worse, I'm going to need you to be completely honest with me" I nodded again. He left the room leaving me sitting alone on my old bed, I closed my eyes and instantly regretted it, all I saw was Shane and that blonde slag; this was our room. It was bigger than Shane's so we thought it would be best, I guess Eve and Michael must've forced him back to his on room. I couldn't sit there anymore; the tears came from my red, puffy eyes. I wiped them away and walked downstairs.

"CB what's wrong? Did the doctor give you some bad news?"

"No…I...It's just being back in that room…it's where I found them" I whispered

"Oh god I totally forgot I'm sorry" Eve said and pulled me into a hug, Michael and Shane were in the kitchen so they didn't hear…well Michael probably did.

"Do you want to stay in my room? I'll be staying with Michael"

"You don't mind?"

"Not at all" she replied and kissed my cheek

"Thanks…oh I almost forgot, I got you presents" just as I said this Michael and Shane came in

"Did I hear the words presents?" Michael asked with a smile on his face

"Yep you sure did"

I got Max to bring the second biggest case down from my room.

"Please don't tell me that's not all presents" Michael said and I nodded "You're mad, you didn't need to get us presents"

"I know but I missed you" I smiled and got to my knees and unzipped the bag. I'd wrapped them all up; the clothes were at the bottom. I gave Eve her iPod first. She squealed and ripped the paper of excitedly.

"You did not get me a new iPod! Are you crazy, I can't accept this; it's the newest model out, it's so expensive?"

"Eve, its fine; the amount of money I earn, this is pennies to me"

"Fucking hell, I seriously didn't realise you were that rich"

"Eve, I'm a singer; I have a CD, I've been on TV and I've done concerts, did you think I did it all for free?" she laughed and hugged me

"Thank you so much, I really needed and new one and I didn't even know they did it in red"

"They didn't but I knew it was your favourite so I pulled a few strings"

"Jesus, I bet you love being a celebrity"

"It has its problems" I mumbled and then distracted myself by getting out Michael's present. He, just like Eve eagerly ripped the wrapping paper off it.

"Oh my god, thank you; I was getting fed up taking blurry photos"

"Trust me, I know how blurry they are; I have the photo we took of the four of us that time at the park on my bedside table"

"Oh my god I remember that picture"

I picked up Shane's present and handed it to him; he seemed, not less enthusiastic but maybe more shocked that I'd gotten him a present so he spent longer to open his. His mouth dropped open when he did though and a smile filled my face.

"Wow!" I was gunna buy this phone once I'd saved up a bit of money; all my earnings have been going into the twin's bank accounts so I haven't really had much money to replace my old phone…how did you know I wanted it?"

"Eve told me once about how serious you were now and how everything is not always about you all the time, she was like 'He hasn't been out in a long time, he's always working and he refuses to spend any of his money on replacing that shitty phone of his even though I know he'd dying to buy the new iPhone' so I thought I'd buy it, it would also be helpful for when the twins are born…so I can actually contact you" I laughed

"I...Thanks"

"No problem, the contract is $30 a month for two years so now there's no excuse for not phoning" I smiled and he smiled back

He hugged me quickly before returning his attention back to his new phone.

"You know I'm gunna need a photo for your contact right?"

"Sorry but you'll have to wait until I've lost the baby weight" I joked

"Yeh about that, you never told us why you aren't very big" Eve asked curiously

"I err…I have some more presents for you but you'll get them before the concert tomorrow night because they're the outfits I got you to wear"

"Oh my god new clothes!" Eve screamed

I laughed and went into the kitchen to get a drink, the pain in my stomach returned and I gripped the counter for support, covering my mouth with my hand to hide the scream. I heard someone enter the room, I turned to see Michael looking at me with an 'I know you're hiding something' look and we're definitely going to be talking about it. He noticed I was in pain and in an instant was by my side.

"Claire, are you ok?"

"Yeh I'm fine"

"You look in pain"

"Oh that's just the twins kicking" I lied, god knows how much I hated lying to all of them

"Oh, ok; anyway, I know you're hiding something and before you say you aren't remember I'm a vampire and I can sense these things…so you're gunna tell me even if I have to force it out of you"

Shit!


	46. Chapter 46

Claire's Pov:

"I don't know what you're talking about" I said trying to sound confident

"Oh come on Claire, we all know that you're an awful liar"

"I'm not lying"

"Yes you are, it's obvious that something's going on; the way Max acted and you…you were crying" Michael had grabbed my arm

"Michael, I'm 8 months pregnant; my hormones are all over the place, one minute I'm dancing and singing and the next I'm crying my eyes out because I really want a bar of chocolate…I'm easily upset these days"

"That wasn't pregnancy hormones, you…you…I can't explain it but you…you looked in pain, haunted…I was completely freaked out, that look in your eyes; I never want see it again. You physically paled, like you were fighting the urge to let all your pain and anger loose"

"Don't be silly, I'm fine; I...I need you to trust me, I'll be fine" I whispered and slipped out of his grip, I walked back into the living room. Shane and Eve were both sitting on the couch playing with their new presents.

"Hey CB, come sit; we have so much to talk about"

"I bet you do, but I'm really tired; you don't mind if I just head upstairs for a shower and then an early night?" I asked hopefully

"No of course not, ignore me; I totally forgot that you're pregnant and you've been flying, we'll talk tomorrow"

"Thank you" I replied

"No problem, hey do you want me to bring you up a hot chocolate?"

"Yeh please" I said before giving her a kiss and hug goodnight

"Night guys"

"Night CB, sweet dreams; see you tomorrow" Eve said

I made my way upstairs and unzipped my suitcase to search for my towel; I grabbed my shampoo, conditioner and body washes and made my way over to the bathroom. The hot water on my skin felt so god damn good, I felt like all my worries just…disappeared; no one understood why I'd sometimes spend over an hour in the bath or shower, I tried explaining to them that it made me feel calm, peaceful and pain free but they all just looked at me like I was crazy. I didn't spend that long in the shower tonight though, one because I didn't want to waste all their hot water and second because I didn't want them asking questions. It was alright when the others back home asked because they knew about the cancer but Eve, Michael and Shane have no idea.

I turned the water off and wrapped the towel around me, I made my way towards Eve's room but then realised that all my stuff was in my old room, I stepped in the room; ignoring all the memories of Shane and I. I wasn't going to cry, I had to be strong. I walked over to my suitcase for the like eighth time tonight. I pulled out a new silky, black bra and knicker set, my spotty pyjama shorts and one of Shane's old t-shirts. I dried myself with my towel and dropped it to the floor, as I was about to grab my underwear the bedroom door opened. I squealed and frantically grabbed for my towel, my cheeks burning a dark shade of red; I turned to see Shane standing in the doorway with his mouth hanging open.

"Jesus Shane! Have you ever heard of knocking? What do you want?"

"Oh sorry, Eve said you were sleeping in her room so I came in here to grab some stuff; I didn't realise you were…um…getting dressed"

"Please tell mE you didn't see anything" I whispered, getting more embarrassed each second

"I...err…yeh I saw you"

"Great, well now I can't look you in the eye anymore; I'm sorry you had to see my train wreck of a body, it's what pregnancy does to you" I almost growled. I hated people seeing my body when I was this size; especially Shane. I looked and felt disgusting. The only good change about the way my body looked was that my boobs had gotten a lot bigger

"It's not a train wreck, it's gorgeous"

"Are you joking? I have stretch marks, I'm fat and my stomach sticks out so far I can't see my own feet"

"I don't care, I still think you look amazing" he whispered

"Do you mind, I kinda need to get changed" I said and he turned around. Just as I thought he was about to leave he stopped. What is he doing?

"What are you doing?" I asked

"I'm turning around so you can get changed" he asked as if I were crazy for even asking

"Why aren't you leaving?"

"Because I need to speak to you" I was about to protest "Before you argue with me, I'm not leaving until we've spoken to each other"

I sighed, quickly got dressed and sat down on my old bed; pulling a cushion onto my lap so it covered some of my swollen belly.

"What do you want Shane?"

"I want to know why you're so skinny, you've avoided the question all night; I need to know if something's wrong Claire, they're my children too" his voice was barely a whisper

"I'm fine"

"Bullshit!" he yelled making me flinch

"You're anything but fine, you haven't gained much weight since the last time I saw you and that was about 7 months ago! You're meant to be getting bigger, especially if you're having twins"

"Look, it's nothing serious; I've just been a bit sick that's all"

"What's wrong with you? Is it dangerous?"

I looked away; I could feel his eyes burning into my back

"No, I'll be fine; look I'm tired ok, I've been flying and training all day and I really don't want to be arguing with you right now. You don't want to stress the twins out do you?" I asked and immediately felt guilty. It was wrong to use the baby card, I know how much he cared for them and I could see the hurt in his eyes when he thought he could be hurting them by fighting with me, but it was the only way to keep it a secret.

"Fine, but this isn't over Claire. You'll tell me whether you like it or not"

I sighed again as he left the room. The pains in my chest were coming back again and I was too tired to move so even though I really didn't want to sleep in this bed; I did.


	47. Chapter 47

Claire's Pov:

I jolted up right, my stomach was on fire and my head was throbbing, the pain was horrific, worse than it had been in a while; I jumped out of bed as fast as possible for an 8 month pregnant person with cancer and pushed open the bathroom door. I slammed it shut before I violently puked into the toilet, my body ached; my throat was sore and the toilet was filled with my blood…_shit! This can't be happening again, not with the concert tonight…should I tell the doctor? No! he'll only hospitalise you! But what if something happens to…_ I was brought out of my thought when I heard knocking on the door.

"Claire?" I heard Shane say

"Yeh…err…hold on a minute, I'm nearly finished"

"Are you ok? Do you need me to do anything?" he asked, I could hear the panic in his voice

"No it's ok, just a bit of morning sickness; I'm used to it" I said hoping he'd realise that there was nothing to worry about and leave.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeh, seriously; I'll be downstairs in a bit, is everyone up?"

"Yeh, it's err…half 1"

"Shit! Are you serious? Why didn't anyone wake me?" I yelled, frantically flushing the chain and running back into my room and threw open my suitcase

"What's wrong?" he asked

"What's wrong? What's wrong is that I'm 8 months pregnant, I've got a concert tonight and I need to practise but no one bothered to wake me up! Not only that but I'm back in vampville with my cheating ex-husband, I've just finished chucking my guts up and I'm dying!" I screamed at him. _Shit!_ _oh god, what have I done!_

"You're what?" he whispered

"I...err…nothing I'm just stressed"

"No Claire there's a difference between being stressed and dying"

"Look, just ignore me, I'm in a fowl mood because I've just been sick, I'm tired and sore and I've got a concert later" I said trying to make out like it was nothing. I tried to walk past him so I could get changed in the bathroom but he grabbed my arm.

"Claire, stop lying!" he growled making me flinch

"Get off me Shane"

"Not until you tell me what the hell is going on" I tried to walk away again

"I said it was nothing so just leave it, now get off me!"

"I know you're lying"

"I'm not the liar here, that would be you; tell me how's Olivia? You still screwing her or have you found another cheap slut?" I asked, I know it was out of order to say but it was the only way for him to forget what I had just said. He flinched and let go, the expression on his face was filled with pain and hurt, he seemed so vulnerable.

"Claire…I...please just tell me, I need to know" he begged

"I said I was fine, just leave me to get changed; some of us can't stay at home all day" I snapped and he grabbed my arm again

"I said get the fuck…"

"Is everything ok here?" Maxi asked

"Yeh we were just talking" Shane said and looked at me

"Since when has talking included you hurting her?"

"Stay out of this" Shane growled

"Yeh, not gunna happen because a) she's one of my best friends/ housemates and b) I'm her bodyguard so I suggest you take your hands off her…now."

I felt the pressure of Shane's iron grip leave my arm, I rubbed it; I was definitely going to have a bruise tomorrow.

"We'll finish this later" he mumbled before pushing past us

I looked a Maxi, I was about to say something when I heard Eve shout something

"Oi! Shane where the hell are you going? You're pregnant wife is back after 8 months and you take off"

"Ask Claire, I'm sure she can think of another lie to tell you" he sneered "I'm going to the club…I guess I'll see tonight for the concert" he said before grabbing his keys and slamming the front door

I reached the bottom step when Eve turned to face me.

"What was all that about?" she asked

"Nothing, I tell you later; right now I need to do rehearsals" before I let her reply I turned to Maxi "And why didn't you wake me up?" I asked

"Because you've been really stressed recently and with everything that's happened you deserved and needed a good sleep, especially when you haven't been sleeping very well"

"But you know how I need to practise" I moaned

"Yeh I know, you've got plenty of time to practise but you wouldn't be very good in practise when your tired and have no energy" I sighed, he had a point; he always did

"Fine, but next time; you make me up!"

"Yes boss" he laughed why saluting me, I hit him over the head "Come on Clairey we need to get you guys fed" after I hate my mountain of food that Eve had prepared for me and joked around with Eve and Michael until my choreographer showed up. I was sitting on the sofa, my shirt pulled up just so it was below my breasts with Michael and Eve's hands placed on my bump waiting to feel my babies kick when I spoke to them.

"Hey blobs, it's mummy" I whispered and Michael and Eve laughed at their nickname "Mummy loves you so much, now can you give me a kick to show aunty Eve and uncle Michael?" I cooed and felt a sharp pain in my stomach from their kick. When your baby kicks you its meant to feel perfect, its meant to be a happy time but when my babies kicked me, it was pure agony. A gasp escaped my lips and my face twisted in pain. Michael and Eve's heads snapped up from my stomach to look at me.

"CB, are you ok?"

"Yeh, they just have one hell of a kick on them; must get it from their dad" I joked trying to laugh it off

"They get it from their mum too, remember what you did to Amber? And that other woman…not to mention all the guys who tried to hit on you" Maxi laughed from behind me

"Urgh…don't mention them please because they'll want me to tell them the story" I groaned making them all laugh.

The doorbell rang.


	48. Chapter 48

Claire's Pov:

Michael jumped up and opened the door; I looked over my shoulder to see Chez standing at the door wearing a very bright and colourful outfit.

"CHEZ!" I screamed and waddled as fast as I could over to him

"My darling CC, god I've missed you sweetie; how are my favourite blobs?" he asked holding my stomach

"We're fine thank you, how are you? Have you got some outrageous performance planned for me?"

"Of course, would I have everything other than outrageous planned?" he smirked

"Nope; never"

"Well then hot stuff lets get rehearsing because I...well hello big boy, who's this fine young man CC, have you been hiding him from me?" Chez asked staring at Michael, did I mention that Chez was gay?

"Sorry, let me introduce you; Chez this is Michael my old roommate, Michael this is Chez my choreographer" Michael simply said hi and sat down whereas Chez walked elegantly over to Michael, took his hand and kissed it.

"Hello Michael, nice to meet you" Chez purred and I couldn't contain my laughter anymore, Eve was watching too and she was trying the best she could to hide her laughter; Michael on the other hand looked absolutely mortified, he'd even turned a lighter shade of white…if that was even possible for a vampire.

"Err…umm…I..." Michael stuttered, not knowing what to say next so I decided to step in.

"Sorry Chez but Michael doesn't play for the same team as you, he's dating my best friend Eve" I finally said after controlling my laughter

"Shame really, all the hot ones are always single" he frowned

"You'll always have me Chez"

"Indeed I will" he smirked pulling me into a hug, when we separated he pecked my lips. I turned to face a shocked Eve and Michael.

"What?" I asked

"But…"

"He's gay, you can tell by looking at him; that was only a friendly kiss, we always do it"

Before any of them could reply Chez cut in.

"No time to chat, we have a concert to prepare for CC"

"Right, let's go…shoot! I dunno where we're meant to be practising, I never had the chance to ask Amelie" I moaned

"Don't worry, we'll just go to the jet; we usually use that in these kind of situations" Chez replied

"Why don't you just practise here?" Michael asked "We could move the furniture out of the way to give you more room?"

"Will there be enough room Chez? How many dancers have you got?"

"Yes there should be enough, I only chose 4 dancers because it's only a small concert and because we don't want you doing much dancing"

"Oh, ok well then yeh can we use your living room?"

"You don't even need to ask Claire, this was your house too a couple of months ago" I just nodded

"Well, I'm gunna change"

"What's wrong with what you're wearing?" Eve asked

"These aren't my dancing clothes; this is just what I wear to get there and come back"

"But why?"

"I don't like wearing this when I'm practising, I can't really explain it but I just like seeing my stomach, being close to my babies, it's easier and I know it sounds stupid but that's just me"

"It's not stupid" Eve said

"Do you guys mind like, not watching me?" I asked quietly

"Why?" they both replied together

"I practise in a sports bra and shorts, it's not a pretty site honestly; I don't like anyone seeing me like this, only my doctors, body guards, dancers and chorographers have…I feel disgusting"

"There's no need to be embarrassed CB but if it's what you want then we'll leave" Eve said looking slightly upset

"Eve…" but she carried on walking; Michael gave me a sympathetic look before following her.

"Come on Claire, the furniture's moved, go get changed and we'll start" I nodded before making my way upstairs. I dressed quickly and walked towards the stairs when I heard Eve and Michael talking.

"I fee like she's drifting apart from us, like she doesn't care about us anymore; she's got a new life now and we're not part of it" Eve cried

"Eve you know that's not true, Claire loves us all; it's just hard for her, I mean come on, she's just come back after months of being separated from us, you've just got to give her time"

"No Michael that's not it, she doesn't want us anymore, you saw what she said downstairs"

"Eve, she doesn't want anyone seeing her body; I can see where she's coming from, I've heard that when you're pregnant you tend to hate the way you look"

"Like that's the reason, she's probably regretting coming back here because she's got a better life in Hollywood, with fancy cars, big houses and celebrity friends; why would she want us?"

I couldn't listen anymore, how could she think that? She's my sister and always will be; fame hasn't changed that! I pushed open her bedroom door, their heads snapped in my direction.

"Claire…" Eve started, my vision was blurry; I hadn't even realised that I was crying

"How could you think that? You're my sister Eve, fame hasn't changed that!" I cried, the tears falling faster

"Claire, I..."

"No!" I shouted louder "This is why I don't like people seeing me like this!" I cried revealing the scars on my stomach "Who wants to see this huh? No one! Not only have I got knife scars but I've got stretch marks, I'm fat! I have bruises on my stomach…are you happy know? Have you got what you wanted! Good!" I screamed before rushing to my bedroom. I slammed the door with all the strength I had and sunk to the floor. I could hear footsteps in the landing.

"Claire, I'm sorry, please open up" Eve cried into the door

"Go away!" I shouted before screaming in agony as my stomach burned

"Claire? Are you ok?" Michael asked

"Get Maxi! Please, I need Maxi" I whispered the last bit whilst clutching onto my stomach

"Clairey" I heard Maxi whisper through the door

"Maxi, I hurt"

"I know sweetie, open up please so I can come in"

"I don't want them in here; I don't want them to see me like this"

"Ok, I won't let them"

"Please Claire, I'm sorry" Eve whispered but the pain got worse so instead of replying I screamed

"Clairey open the door!"

"I can't, it hurts to move"

"Ok, stay calm, can you move away from the door?"

"No…help me Maxi, I can't lose them; not now"

"You're not going to ok, I'm going to get in there ok?"

"Ok"

I don't know how long I sat there for, but I heard the front door slam

"Claire! Where is she?" Shane asked, _shit! Why did they phone him?_

"In her room" Eve whispered

"Claire? Are you ok?" Shane asked

"No" I whispered "Where's Maxi? I want Maxi?" I cried

"I'm coming Clairey, just hang in there ok?"

"Hurry Maxi…I'm tired" I replied

"Shit! Don't close your eyes Claire ok? Remember what I said last time? Can you do it please?"

"I can't"

"Yes you can, look I'll sing it with you. 'I was wrong to let you walk right out  
of my life'…come on Claire sing it with me, you know you're voice is better than mine" he laughed, to be fair he actually had a really good voice; sometimes we'd sing together or he'd help me practise.

"I was dumb to think that I could survive…Maxi, hurry please"

"I'm going as fast as I can, you just keep singing to me ok?"  
"Was a fool to think the grass was…Ahhhhh, Maxi…?" I whimpered

"I'm nearly there"  
"greener on the other side…" I whispered as my eyes began to close. I could hear voices in the background, Maxi's voice, shouting at me to sing; but I couldn't, I had no energy.

When I woke up I was on my old bed, Maxi was holding my right hand and Shane was holding the left.

"Maxi?"

"Hey Clairey, how are you feeling?"

"I'm good, no pain…can I speak to you in private for a minute please?"

"Yeh sure" he replied, I watched as they left the room.

"You didn't tell them did you?" I asked nervously 


	49. Chapter 49

Shane's Pov:

She was definitely hiding something from me and I was gunna find out, I mean come on, I have a right to know, they're my children too; if there are any problems concerning them then I should be told. The argument with Claire wasn't helping and her bodyguard 'Maxi' was stopping me from talking to her so I stalked downstairs, picked my cars keys up from the counter and left the house ignoring all Eve's moaning. I sped off in my car and made my way over to 'Pulse' my club, Claire was performing here tonight so when I got there is was surrounded by the camera crews, make up artists, fashion stylists, light and sound crew and all the dancers and band members; some of the fans had even started to show up outside. I went straight into my office and punched the punch bag.

"Problems in paradise?" a voice said from behind me, I turned around to see a good friend and employee Rad.

"Hey mate, yeh you could say that"

"What happened?"

"Claire's been acting really weird, I think she hiding something, something that could be dangerous for the babies and she won't tell me"

"Are you sure you're not just overreacting?"

"Nope, there's definitely somethin going on, I mean take this morning for example, we had an argument over something as stupid as not waking her up early and then out of no where she blurts out she's dying. When I questioned her about it, she denied everything saying she was just stressed and that it's normal during pregnancy"

"Well there you go, she's just stressed"

"No but its not just stress, she has her own personal doctor, saying she needs it because a pregnant woman shouldn't be flying after a certain stage in their pregnancy. The worst part is during pregnancy you tend to get bigger, but with Claire it's the complete opposite. Something's going on Rad and I need to know what" before he could reply my new phone started ringing and Eve's picture appeared on the screen.

"Hold on a minute bro, I just need to see was my gothic princess wants" I said making him laugh "Yes gothzilla, what do you want?"

"Oh god Shane, I didn't mean to, she was acting weird and I was upset and she heard Michael and I talking and she got really upset and locked herself in her bedroom. We don't know what to do, she's screaming and crying and I don't know what to do…please come home"

"What do you mean she's screaming and crying? What did she hear you say?" I asked angrily

"I just said she didn't care about us anymore and that she was happy with her perfect life and then she showed me her stomach, which is all scarred and then she ran to her room as fast as she could, I tried speaking to her but then she started screaming. Maxi came upstairs and was talking to her, I think this has happened before…just please come home"

"I'm on my way right now" I replied and hung up, grabbing my jacket of the back of the chair and headed towards the door.

"What's wrong?" Rad asked

"Something's happened with Claire, look I can't talk much now because I need to get home but can you look after the club until I get back please?"

"Yeh sure, you go; Claire's more important" I nodded and ran out of my club, I reached my car with extreme speed and drove home breaking all the speed limits…not that I actually cared. I flung the front door open letting it hit the wall and the first thing I heard was Claire's heartbreaking screams cutting through the air, I pounded up the stairs to see Max on his knees with his ear pressed against Claire's door and Eve and Michael as well as Claire's me watching with worried expressions.

"Claire! Where is she?" I asked

"In her room" Eve whispered

"Claire? Are you ok?" I asked

"No" she whispered "Where's Maxi? I want Maxi?" she cried, as soon as those words left her mouth my heart split into a million pieces, I knew that there was no going back with us, I'd be in the children's lives, Claire wouldn't stop me but we'd never be a proper family; she's never going to forgive me

"I'm coming Clairey, just hang in there ok?" Max said

"Hurry Maxi…I'm tired" she replied

"Shit! Don't close your eyes Claire ok? Remember what I said last time? Can you do it please?" _wait, what did he just say? Last time? There was a last time?_

"There was a last time? How many times has this happened? Why didn't you tell me? I deserved to know!" I shouted but no one answered me

"I can't"

"Yes you can, look I'll sing it with you. 'I was wrong to let you walk right out  
of my life'…come on Claire sing it with me, you know you're voice is better than mine" he laughed

"I was dumb to think that I could survive…Maxi, hurry please"

"I'm going as fast as I can, you just keep singing to me ok?"  
"Was a fool to think the grass was…Ahhhhh, Maxi…?" she whimpered

"I'm nearly there"  
"greener on the other side…" she whispered and then there was silence.

"Claire?" I asked

"Claire answer me" I cried, stepping closer to the door only to be pushed away by Max

"Clairey, I need you to speak to me" there was still no reply

"Shit!" Max screamed "Get the medical kit now, Brad I'm going to need you in there with me; we're not losing them now, not after everything that's happened" Maxi said getting up from his knees and running down the stairs. I was going to ask one of the other guys what they were talking about, Michael and Eve looked like they wanted to know the same thing but Michael shook if head and mouthed _'now's not the time, we need to let them help Claire and the twins'_. I sighed and nodded my head following Claire's bodyguards. Max was in the garden below Claire's window, there was a ladder standing against the side of the house, I had no idea where that had come from because I didn't even think we owned a ladder.

"Right, I'm gunna need you to hold the ladder whilst I climb up and get to Claire, when I'm in I'll unlock the door and let the other guys come in, ok?" he asked one of the older guys

"Yes sir"

"Good"

He climbed up the ladder in a matter of seconds, he must've had to do that in the army and that's why he's so good, that's probably why Claire's likes him so much and…_Stop! Claire needs you, now's not the time to be feeling sorry for yourself!_ I thought to myself. I dragged myself from my jealous thoughts and looked up to see what Max was doing.

"It's locked" he shouted, _shit! we forgot about that!_

"Err…yeh someone tried to break in so we locked all the windows" I lied, I mean I couldn't exactly say, 'yeh it's because in Morganville there's vampires and we don't won't them breaking in and eating us, especially with a vampire, yeh you know Michael, he's a vampire, living in our house and therefore causing the protections to leave'.

"Can you get the key?"

"I'll have a look" I ran inside to try and find it, I even asked Eve and Michael but they didn't know either, after 5 minutes of looking I heard glass smash. We ran outside to see Max with his elbow gushing with blood and Claire's window completely glassless.

"Sorry but you were taking too long" I about to swear at him but he dived into the room before I could open my mouth. We all ran upstairs just in time to see the bedroom door swing open and _oh God! There's blood!_

"Hurry up Brad, she's losing a lot of blood and her pulse is weak" Maxi said, his voice will with panic

"She can't keep doing this" he replied before dropping to his kneels and trying to help her "She's going to kill herself and the twins, I warned her that this concert would be too much but did she listen to me, did David listen to me? No! And now look what's happened. Her career damages her body enough without the extra stress and the c…"

"Brad!" Max screamed and glared at him making Brad stop immediately

"What were you going to say?" I asked _this was so bloody confusing and all the lies and secrets aren't helping!_

"Nothing for you to worry about"

"Yes it is! For fuck sake! I have enough of all these lies and secrets! They're my children too I have a right to know!" I screamed making everyone look at me "Please, I need to know" I whispered

Max sighed and just as he was about to say something the Dr. interrupted him.

"Max, she's lost a lot of blood, I need you to go to the car and get the blood cooler in and her c…medicine"

Max nodded and sprinted down the stairs. It took 10 minutes before they got Claire stabilised and as soon as she was I walked over to Max.

"Please tell me"

"Look, I know this is hard but I can't; it's not my place to say"

"But…"

"But, when she wakes up I'll talk to her and get her to tell you guys everything; ok?"

"Thank you" I replied

We both sat down by Claire's bed, I took her left hand in mine bringing it to my lips, the cold metal of her wedding ring touched my mouth…wait wedding ring? She still kept it on! That must mean something right? I sat there staring at her hand, rubbing her ring with my fingers in silence.

"She's never stopped loving you, you know? That's why she still wears the ring" he told me, his eyes never leaving her

"I thought…I thought she…"

"Hates you, yeh I would if that was me but Claire's different; she can't really hate anyone, especially not the people she loves" I smiled at that

"I'm not saying she's going to forgive you and play happy families but give her time, eventually she'll come round" I was about to reply when I felt Claire's hand move, I turned to face her and saw she was waking. Her beautiful eyes opened and I was so happy until she said

"Maxi?"

"Hey Clairey, how are you feeling?" he replied looking at me apologetically

"I'm good, no pain…can I speak to you in private for a minute please?" looking at me, I felt my heart break

"Yeh sure" I replied and walked out of the room silently crying. I walked downstairs and was met by a very worried Michael and Eve.

"What happened? Is she ok?"

"Yeh she wants to speak to 'Maxi' in private" I spat angrily

"Look Shane, you just need…"

"To give her time? Yeh I know, everyone keeps telling me that; doesn't mean it doesn't hurt though" I finished before walking out the house and jumping in the car heading back to the club, she didn't need or want me anymore.


	50. Chapter 50

Claire's Pov:

"No I didn't tell them but…"

"Thank you so much, I was really worried then" I said cutting him off

"I didn't tell them, BUT, I think that you should tell them, at least Shane"

"What? Why?" _was he being serious? He knows how worried I am about telling them and here he is telling me to tell them! Did he hit his head or something? _"Are you being serious?"

"Yes, I'm deadly serious" I flinched

"Shit! Sorry I didn't mean it like that, I wasn't taking to piss or anything"

"I know, its fine"

"I understand that it's going to be hard but as Shane said, he's their father and he has a right to know"

"But I can't, they'll hate me and I can't have that if I've only got a month left" I whispered

"Stop it!" he almost shouted making me flinch again, he'd never shouted at me before and to be honest, it was actually really scary "Stop saying that you're going to die next month like it's definitely going to happen, you're strong, there's a chance you're going to pull through this and beat the bloody cancer; so please stop" he whispered as if he were in pain, I didn't say anything

"I'm sorry for shouting at you Clairey it's just you're like my little sister and I don't want you to die"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know if I can tell them, especially IF I'm going to die; I can't have them hate me"

"I know you don't but Claire, put yourself in their shoes, how'd you think they're going to feel when they find out you've known all along and didn't tell them, how'd you think Shane's going to feel when he gets a phone call telling him that his wife and or children have died without any warning? What will that do to him? What if Shane had cancer and didn't tell you how would you feel? They all love you like family and none of which want to lose you"

"But what if they hate me?" I whimpered

"If they hate you then it's their problem but at least you told them, however, if you don't tell them Claire and you, the children or all of you die then they'll hate you because they weren't told, because they took you're last month for granted as they didn't know you were going to die. They won't get to say goodbye and that is why they'll hate you. Sure they'll be angry at first but they'll get over it and I'll be here for you through all of it"

"But…" I started but didn't know what to say

"I know how you feel about Shane and about how you've never stopped loving him, if you don't tell him, you'll never get to go back to that, you'll never be able to love again and you'll never be happy"

"I'm happy…" I started but he knew me too well

"You're anything but happy, you put on a facade for everyone to see so they don't worry about you but I live with you Claire, I comfort you after you're nightmares, I rock you bad to sleep and I sleep in you're bed because you're too scared to go to sleep on your own in case you have the nightmare about catching Shane with that girl or in case you die in your sleep; Claire, these things aren't happy, you're not happy. The only thing that makes you happy is Shane, I saw how excited and happy you were when you saw him again; you're face lit up and you looked genuinely happy, something I've never seen before"

I couldn't reply to that because he was right, everything he had just said was the truth

"I do want Shane back but I'm scared that if I tell him, I'll lose him forever" I cried and he pulled me into his chest

"You won't lose him Claire, he loves you too much to let you go again; but you have to tell him"

"Ok" I whispered against his neck

"What?"

"I said ok, I'll tell him; I'll tell them all"

"You will?"

"Yeh, I will"

"Do you want to do it now?"

"Err…I was thinking about doing it after the concert, let them enjoy tonight"

"Ok, whatever you want; I'll be with you if you need me"

"Thank you"

"No problems, it's what brothers do" he whispered and kissed my forehead making me smile.

"Now let's get you out of this stuffy room and get some food inside of you"

"Good because I'm starving" I said making him laugh

"When aren't you hungry" he replied and I hit him in the chest.

He helped me walk down the stairs, I was happy that I was finally going to be able to release this burden I've been carrying around for the past 6 months but it all ended when Michael spoke.

"You've got cancer and you didn't tell us earlier!" he screamed _I'd forgotten about his vampire hearing, shit!_


	51. Chapter 51

Claire's Pov:

"Michael…" I started

"No Claire, don't tell me a load of shit to try and worm your way out of this and for once tell the bloody truth" I was shocked at his harshness

"I...I'm sorry"

"Yeh well sometimes sorry doesn't cut it, were you even going to tell us? or were you just going leave us to find out when we got an invitation to your funeral!" he yelled

"Please just…"

"I can't believe you CB, we're you're family! We've helped you through everything, we even lied to our best friend for you and now we find out that you've been lying to us for months!" Eve cried out, black mascara running down her face

"Eve…I..." I kept trying to explain it to them but they wouldn't even let me finish my sentence!

"How could you not tell us? You know how much we love you, why are you being such a heartless bitch!" she screamed and burst into tears, Michael pulled her into his chest and glared at me

"Now hang on a minute!" Maxi said coming closer and placing his arm around my shoulders. "You're out of line, Claire loves you guys so much and that is why she didn't tell you, because she didn't want to worry you so stop being the self-centred bastards you're acting like right now and let her fucking explain" the fury and coldness in his voice made them silent.

"Fine" Michael whispered

"I found out I had stomach cancer the night Ryan phoned you to tell you I hadn't come home, you know when I said I knew he still loved Amber?" I said and she gasped

"You've known for that long?"

"Yeh, I was told that there was a very little chance that I would survive the full 9 months of pregnancy and an even smaller chance giving birth but he said that even if I went through with the termination there was still a huge chance I'd die because the cancer had spread. So I decided that if I was going to die I might as well bring two new lives into the world"

"But why didn't you tell us?"

"There's many reasons, one being that I was receiving and was going to receive so much sympathy and people telling be to have an abortion that I needed you guys to be normal, I needed to be able to phone or skype you guys and not be reminded that in a couple of months I was going to die, I needed you guys to keep me sane. Another reason was that I'd never be able to bring myself to kill my children; I'd never forgive myself if I had. Yes I was scared about dying and about not seeing or saying goodbye to you guys or even making up with Shane, I still am but I've already caused so many problems for you guys, I didn't want everything to revolve around me. But the main reason is because I couldn't put myself first, saving myself before my children knowing that I was killing the only family Shane had left. He'd already lost everyone, I couldn't let him lose them as well, especially when I saw how excited he was" I finished, when I looked up from my lap I could see their expressions had changed from anger and betrayal to sympathetic and apologetic.

"Oh god CB, I feel so bad for calling you a heartless bitch, I know that I was wrong and you were only trying to protect us and the twins and even though I can see where you're coming from, I'm still hurt you couldn't trust us enough to tell us"

"It's not that I didn't trust you, it's that I didn't trust myself; I knew that if I had told you, you would've all told me to have a termination like the rest of them because you didn't want me to die. But I knew that I would've listened to you guys because you're opinions and views mean so much to me, not that my families don't; I just know that if Shane had asked me to have an abortion I would've done it, because I would do anything for him"

"I'm sorry I was so harsh Claire" Michael whispered

"I understand; I never took into consideration how you guys would feel about me not telling you because as bad as this is going to sound, I expected you to find out when you were told by my parents that I had died. But now I realise that some of the choices I've made were wrong and that you all had a right to know"

"Even though I agree with what you just said about making to wrong choices and even though I understand why you did what you did, is still haven't forgiven you CB, it still hurts and I'm still upset. I'm gunna need time, we all are but I don't hate you" Eve said

"Thank you, that's all I ask" I replied and she pulled me into a hug, when I pulled back I looked at Michael to see what he was going to say

"I agree with Eve, it's going to take some time but right now I think you need to worry about telling Shane" I gulped, I knew Michael wouldn't have been like Eve but I guess one can only hope right?

"I'm going to tell him after the concert, I was going to tell you all after the concert and let you all enjoy tonight so that we had some happy memories in case…in case I die but I guess my plan failed just like the rest of them"

"Why wait until after the concert?" Michael asked

"Look, I know you don't agree with the way I'm handling things but please, don't say anything to Shane, let me tell him after the concert; I've already put him through so much please just let him have a fun night" I begged them and after a few long silent minutes they both nodded their heads.

"Thank you so much" I said and silence fell once again

"I can't believe this is actually happening! My CB has cancer!" Eve cried

"I know, it was surreal to me to, I even collapsed" I cringed at the memory

"Is it definite?" Michael asked

"Is what definite?" I replied

"Ate you definitely going to die?"

"I don't know, there's an extremely high chance I'm not going to survive this and the same goes for the twins, but stranger things have happened" he just nodded and fell silent again. His silence though, was cut short by being interrupted by Maxi

"Clairey, we need to get you over to the club so you can get ready for the concert"

"Ok…will you guys be…err…ok?"

"Yeh we'll be fine CB, you just go and get pretty; we'll meet you down there"

"Ok thank you, I put your outfits in my wardrobe so I hope you like them; oh and could you give Shane's his please?"

"Yeh sure, thanks CB"

"No problem, I guess I'll see you later on tonight?"

"You sure will"

"Thank you" I murmured

"For what?" Michael asked

"For not hating me, you don't know how much that means to me" I whispered and before they could reply walked out of the house and got into the limo. As soon as the door was closed I sucked in a deep breath, my whole body shaking.

"I'm proud of you Clairey"

"Thank you; and thank you for having my back in there"

"I always said I would" he smiled and kissed my head

"I feel better, like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders"

"I told you you'd feel better"

"I'm glad they don't hate me and that they understand but Shane's a whole other story, he's not going to be as forgiving as them"

"He'll understand in the end"

"I hope so…I really hope so" I mumbled before looking out of the window into the Morganville night.


	52. Chapter 52

Claire's Pov:

I was in my makeshift dressing room, people surrounded me, fussing over my hair and makeup, they were asking me questions and telling what I had to do but I couldn't pay any attention to them, all I could think about was what Shane's reaction was going to be like. What if he did hate me? What if he never forgave me? What would I do? What would happen to us? I was soon pulled out of my questioning thoughts by my manager David.

"Hello Claire"

"Hi, when did you get here?"

"Not that long ago, I heard what happened; how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, no pains, no tears; I'm ready for tonight"

"Good, Max told me that some of your friends found out"

"Yeh, they were annoyed and angry at first but I think they're ok with it now…well as ok as you can be when you find out your friend could die of cancer along with her two children"

"And Shane? Have you told him yet?" he asked

"No" I choked out "I...I'm going to tell him after the concert"

"I hope everything goes ok Claire, you deserve to be happy" he replied and pulled me into a hug. It was actually surprising how close I was to my manager, everyone was surprised to be honest; he wasn't known for cuddles and friendliness but with me he was different, maybe because he knew what I was going through…who knows.

"Thanks, anyway I can't be crying I need to get ready for my concert tonight" I said whilst wiping my tears

"Yes you do and you're going to be great"

"Thanks, I hope so"

With that he left me to get ready. Half way through my hair the door opened and in came Michael, Shane and Eve.

"Oh my god CB you look amazing" she squealed

"Thanks so do you guys" I smirked, they looked good in their outfits, especially Shane; you could see his well maintained muscles…_stop right there Claire! Focus on the concert!_

"That's down to your wonderful fashion sense and the outfits you got us; Jesus CB you must've spent a fortune on our outfits, especially mine, with all the expensive accessories you bought to go with it"

"You're all well worth it"

"So are you ready for the concert?" Michael asked

"Yes I certainly am" I replied

"Claire, do you think it's safe you being up on stage this far into your pregnancy?" Shane asked, it was the first time I'd heard him speak since the argument

"Yeh, I haven't been doing any concerts for a while because of the pregnancy and I've only done a certain amount of practise for this concert so I've been rested for a while. The only reason I'm doing and have been allowed to do this concert so far into this concert is because it was a favour for Amelie otherwise I wouldn't be allowed up there"

He just nodded

"Anyway CB, you're on in 15 so we'll leave you to finish getting ready"

"Thanks Eve"

"Oh my god! She squealed again "I can't believe we're going to see our CB in action! Ahhhhh" she squealed again "I'm so excited and I can't wait to hear you sing and see your outfit" she cried out jumping up and down like a 5 year old, making us all laugh

"Yehh…I'll just take her away now…" Michael laughed and dragged her out the room leaving me alone with Shane…well and my make up artists

"Can you give us a bit of privacy please?" I asked them, they nodded and left the room

"I'm sorry for being such a dick earlier, I'm just so worried about you and the twins" he said looking at the floor. I waddled over to him, cupped his chin with my hand and lifted his head to I can look into his eyes.

"I know and it's really sweet; I'm happy that you care so much, but I'll be fine" I lied slightly because obviously I don't know what's going to happen. He nodded; we stared into each other's eyes for another minute. He started to lean forward, I rose on my feet so I was closer to him and our lips met. At first it was slow and sweet and then in a matter of seconds it turned hungry and passionate. He pushed me gently against the wall, pressing up against me; and more a moment I lost myself, my hands reached down the his trouser button and I undid it; Shane followed my lead and his hands reached to my top.

"Claire, we need to finish getting you…" we turned to see Dana looking at us very embarrassed, she's obviously walked in with her head down. I cleared my throat and spoke

"Of course, err…sorry about that"

"Its fine" she replied but I could tell it wasn't

"I'll see you after the concert Claire" Shane said whilst buttoning up his trousers, I just nodded; still too shocked to reply._ Oh my fucking god! I was about to have sex with Shane! 15 minutes before the bloody concert! Breathe Claire, breathe; it's not good for the babies_ I thought to myself as I watched him leave.

"I really am sorry about that"

"It's fine, I know what it's like; I've got a boyfriend" she smiled

I was once again surrounded by people fixing my hair and makeup and with 5 minutes to spare I had my dress pulled over my body. I was now backstage waiting to go on when the nerves started to kick in.

"Welcome everyone to Pulse" I heard Shane say "I'd like to introduce a very special person to me, Claire Collins also known as CC!" he shouted and the audience erupted into screams, this was my cue. I walked onto the stage, when they saw me they screamed even louder. I went over to hug Shane, both because I still loved him and because of the press.

"Thanks Shane" I said and kissed his cheek, he nodded and ran down the stage steps to stand with Michael, Eve and Maxi.

"Hey guys, how you all doing to night?" I asked and they all screamed

"So who's excited?" I asked and they screamed again

"I'm sorry but I think the audience at my last concert was louder, I said who's excited?" they screamed louder

"That's what I like to hear. So you're in for a treat tonight because I'll be singing all the songs from my new album 'Love hurts' as well as some new things I've been working on" they screamed again "Any suggestions for my first song then?" I asked and instantly I was met with a numerous of answers. I looked over at Eve and saw she was shouting out 'fight for this love'"

"Ok someone here at the front asked me to sing 'fight for this love' so here I go"

"Too much of anything can make you sick  
Even the good can be a curse (curse)  
Makes it hard to know which road to go down  
Knowing too much can get you hurt

Is it better is it worse?  
Are we sitting in reverse  
it's just like we're going backwards (backwards)  
I know where I want this to go  
Driving fast but let's go slow  
What I don't wanna do is crash, no

Just know that you're not in this thing alone  
There's always a place in me that you can call home  
Whenever you feel like we're growing apart  
Let's just go back back back back back to this start, oh

Anything that's worth having  
Is sure enough worth fighting for  
Quitting's out of the question  
When it gets tough gotta fight some more

We gotta fight fight fight fight fight for this love  
We gotta fight fight fight fight fight for this love  
We gotta fight fight fight fight fight for this love  
If it's worth having it's worth fighting for oh,

Now everyday ain't gunna be no picnic  
Love ain't no walk in the park  
All you can do is make the best of it now  
Can't be afraid of the dark

Just know that you're not in this thing alone  
There's always a place in me that you can call home  
Whenever you feel like we're growing apart  
Let's just go back back back back back to the start, oh

Anything that's worth having  
Is sure enough worth fighting for  
Quitting's out of the question  
When it gets tough gotta fight some more

We gotta fight fight fight fight fight for this love  
We gotta fight fight fight fight fight for this love  
We gotta fight fight fight fight fight for this love  
If it's worth having it's worth fighting for oh,

I don't know where we're heading I'm willing and ready to go (oh)  
We've been driving so fast we just need to slow down and just roll  
We've been driving so fast we just need to slow down and just roll

We've been driving so fast we just need to slow down and just roll

Anything that's worth having  
Is sure enough worth fighting for  
Quittings out of the question  
When it gets tough gotta fight some more

We gotta fight fight fight fight fight for this love  
We gotta fight fight fight fight fight for this love  
We gotta fight fight fight fight fight for this love  
If it's worth having it's worth fighting for oh,

We gotta fight fight fight fight fight for this love  
We gotta fight fight fight fight fight for this love  
We gotta fight fight fight fight fight for this love  
If it's worth having it's worth fighting for oh"

I finished the song, even the small amount of dancing had made me slightly tired. I was in for a hell of a long night. I looked over at Shane and the others, they were all smiling at me with pride, but I could also see love and regret in Shane's eyes.

"So what's the next song?"

The next few hours went by in a blur, I sang them most of the songs on my album but right now I was on a break. I scurried behind stage to my dressing room to have my makeup, hair and clothes fixed…as well as some food. As I was half way through getting my next dress on the door opened, I froze on the spot but when I noticed it was Maxi I continued; not realising that Shane, Michael and Eve had followed him.

"Oh god, sorry CB!" Eve shouted, turned around and covered the boys eyes with her hands

"Don't worry about it, you've all seen me in less" they all froze not knowing what I meant, I laughed "You saw me in a bikini when we went to the beach last year and you saw me in my underwear when Ian kidnapped me"

Their bodies came less tense and I swear I heard Shane sigh; was he jealous?

"You can turn around now guys" and they did

"That dress is AMAZING! Where did you get it? What make is it?"

"It's a one of a kind CC dress, like yours but mine's especially for the concert"

"My dress is a one of a kind CC dress!" she squealed again "I only know celebrities to have these"

"Yeh well you're my family, so you're all wearing my clothes" I replied before taking a large gulp of my water

"The concert's fantastic CB, I didn't know you could sing so well; why didn't you tell us before?"

"Because I didn't know" I replied

"5 minutes CC" the stage director shouted as he came past my door

"Ok, thanks John" I replied and I immediately felt a sharp pain in my stomach, I turned away from them so they didn't notice and luckily it worked.

"Look guys, I'm gunna have to go now but I'll speak to you after the concert ok?"

"Ok" they all replied and left. I was alone, my stomach was burning, not as bad as usual but it still hurt. I forced myself to deal with the pain and walked back onto the stage where my screaming fans were waiting for me.

"Hey guys, before I sing the last song on my album, I'm going to ask your opinion on this new song I'm working on; is that ok?" I got hundreds of yes's screamed back at me

"Great, but first I'd like to get a special friend up here to help me; I know he knows this song because he's been helping me practise. So can Michael Glass come up on stage for me please?" I looked over at them, Michael was frozen on the spot and Shane and Eve were smiling like crazy people. Shane pushed Michael towards the stairs and then his legs slowly began to move without the help.

"Right guys, this is one of my best friends Michael Glass, he's an amazing singer and I'd like him to sing this song with me, is that ok with you guys?" I asked the audience and once again I heard hundreds of yes's.

"I can't do this Claire!" Michael whispered loudly in my ear

"Yes you can, you're amazing and it's about time something gets done about it; I was thinking that I could impress my manager and if he doesn't like you then I'll sign you"

"But you can't…"

"I have the money to do it and I will because you are one of the best singers I know"

"But…"

"We're singing 'Judas' by the way"

"I don't have my guitar with me and you know I can't play without it"

"That's why I picked it up for you"

"Ok guys, this song is called 'Judas', I was inspired, just like the rest of my songs by my ex-husband as you all know; so I'd like you to listen to this and tell me what you think"

(Me)

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,  
I'm in love with Juda-as, Juda-as  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,  
I'm in love with Juda-as, Juda-as  
Judas! Juda-a-a! Judas! Juda-a-a!  
Judas! Juda-a-a! Judas! GA-GA!  
When he comes to me, I am ready  
I wash his feet with my hair if he needs  
Forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain  
Even after three times he betrays me"

(Michael)

"**Ahh ah ah ah ah Ahh ah ah ah****  
****I'll bring him down, bring him down, down****  
****Ahh ah ah ah ah Ahh ah ah ah****  
****A king with no crown, king with no crown"****  
**  
(both)

"I'm just a Holy Fool, oh baby, it's so cruel  
But I'm still in love with Judas, baby!  
I'm just a Holy Fool, oh baby, it's so cruel  
But I'm still in love with Judas, baby!  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,  
I'm in love with Juda-as, Juda-as

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,  
I'm in love with Juda-as, Juda-as  
Judas! Juda-a-a! Judas! Juda-a-a!  
Judas! Juda-a-a! Judas! GA-GA!"

(Michael)

"I couldn't love a man so purely  
Even prophets forgave his crooked way  
I've learned love is like a brick, you can  
Build a house or sink a dead body  
Ahh ah ah ah ah Ah ah ah ah  
I'll bring him down, bring him down, down  
Ahh ah ah ah ah Ah ah ah ah  
A king with no crown, king with no crown"

(both)

"I'm just a Holy Fool, oh baby, it's so cruel  
But I'm still in love with Judas, baby  
I'm just a Holy Fool, oh baby, it's so cruel  
But I'm still in love with Judas, baby  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,  
I'm in love with Juda-as, Juda-as  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,  
I'm in love with Juda-as, Juda-as"

(me)

"In the most Biblical sense,  
I am beyond repentance  
Fame hooker, prostitute, wench; vomits her mind.  
But in the cultural sense,  
I just speak in future tense.  
Judas, kiss me, if offensed,  
Or wear A condom next time.  
I wanna love you,  
But something's pulling me away from you  
Jesus is my Virtue  
And Judas is the demon I cling to  
I cling to"

(both)

"i'm Just a Holy Fool, oh baby, it's so cruel  
But I'm still in love with Judas, baby  
I'm just a Holy Fool, oh baby, it's so cruel  
But I'm still in love with Judas, baby  
whOh, oh, oh, oh, oh,  
I'm in love with Juda-a-as, Juda-as  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,  
I'm in love with Juda-as, Juda-as  
Judas! Juda-a-as! Judas! Juda-a-as!  
Judas! Juda-a-as! Judas! GAGA"  
once we were finished I pulled Michael into a hug, that was amazing and the crowd were going wild.

"Thank you so much Claire" Michael whispered in my ear before he kissed my cheek, I looked over at the others and they were both smiling, Shane looked extremely happy; I guess it was that fact that I said I was still in love with him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Glass!" I shouted and they all screamed and clapped, Michael bowed before running down the stairs.

"Right guys, it's time for the last song of the night; because I'm heavily pregnant, sore, tired and extremely hungry right now" I said making them all laugh

"So it's time for my last song"

Bleeding love:

"Closed off from love, I didn't need the pain

Once or twice was enough, and it was all in vain

Time starts to pass

Before you know it you're frozen, oh"

I raised my arms and I instantly felt the sharp pain in my stomach again but this time it was worse. I clutched it hard in attempt to stop the pain but it was no use. I carried on singing.

"But somethin' happened for the very first time with you

My heart melted to the ground, found somethin' true

And everyone's looking 'round

Thinkin' I'm going crazy, oh

But I don't care what they say; I'm in love with you

They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth

My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closin'

You cut me open and I Keep bleedin'

Keep, keep bleedin' love

I keep bleedin', I keep, keep bleedin' love

Keep bleedin', keep, keep bleedin' love

You cut me open

Trying hard not to hear, but they talk so loud

Their piercing sounds fill my ears; try to fill me with doubt

Yet I know that the goal

Is to keep me from fallin', yeah yeah, oh"

The pain was getting worse, my breathing quickened and I screamed into the microphone making everyone jump.

"But nothin's greater than the rush… that…that comes with your embrace" I whispered

"And in this world of loneliness, I see your face

Yet everyone around me

Thinks that I'm goin' crazy, baby, baby" I cried out, tears blurring my vision; everyone was crying too, they always did.

But I don't care what they say, I'm in love with you

They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth

My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closin'

You cut me open and I..." I panted, my hands holding my stomach as the pain continued.

"Keep bleedin', keep, keep bleedin' love

I keep bleedin', I keep, keep bleedin' love

Keep bleedin', keep, keep bleedin' love

And it's drainin' all of me

Oh, they find it hard to believe

I'll be wearing these scars

For everyone to see" everyone was looking at me, they didn't know what was happening; my friend's thought that maybe it was part of the act…but I knew different.

"But I don't care what they say, I'm in love with you

They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth

My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closin'

Oh, you cut me open and I -

Keep bleedin', keep, keep bleedin' love

I keep bleedin', I keep, keep bleedin' love

Keep bleedin', keep, keep bleedin' love (love)

Oh, you cut me open and I" I started to spin, everything around me was moving quickly; I felt sick, the pain was too much…I wanted to die.

"Keep bleedin', keep, keep bleedin' love

I keep bleedin', I keep, (oh, keep bleedin' love) keep bleedin' love

Keep bleedin', (I keep) keep, keep bleedin' love

Oh, you cut me open and I – I looked down because I felt something wet, my stomach was on fire, worse than ever before; it looked down, everyone silent watching to see what I was doing. It was blood…I was bleeding.

Keep bleeding

Keep, keep bleeding love" I whispered the last part and collapsed to my knees, screaming; everyone saw the blood and panicked thinking that I'd just been shot or something but I hadn't.

"Claire!" my friends screamed and run up the stairs. I looked over at Maxi and said

"Judgment day's come early!" I whispered before I let out an ear splitting scream.


	53. Chapter 53

Claire's Pov:

The pain was unbearable, I was finding it hard to breath, the room was spinning and my friend's faces were looming above me, the world kept going black and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I was so scared, I wasn't ready for this and now the children are in even more danger being a month early. I had Shane's hand in a death grip, not that he noticed, he was in shock, not that I could blame him.

"Claire, is this because of the...?" Eve asked

"Yeh, it's too early!" I cried "Is there anything you can do to stop it?" I asked my doctor

"I'm afraid not, especially with your condition, the twins need to be delivered as soon as possible or we'll lose all of you" he replied in a calm voice and I nodded

"Can someone please explain to me what the fuck is going on and what condition Claire has?" Shane screamed making me flinch

"I have stomach cancer Shane, that's the reason for the pains, the skinniness, the doctors and the secrets…not to mention the time I collapsed and was rushed to hospital" Shane's face paled and he removed my hand from his before stumbling to his feet.

"How could you!" he screamed "How could you keep something like this a secret! I'm the father of these babies and I deserved to know if you were going to bloody die!" he yelled and turned away from me

"Shane!" I screamed "Please don't go, I'm sorry, I was just so scared that you would make me have an abortion"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you said you couldn't live without me and if you knew there was a chance I'd survive by having an abortion you'd do it; you tried to bloody kill yourself for fuck sake, I didn't want you to do that"

"That wasn't your fucking decision to make!" he shouted back at me

"I think we should get Claire to hospital" Michael interrupted us

"I'm afraid that is impossible, moving Claire would be dangerous for all of them; we're going to have to deliver them here"

"What! Are you serious? I can't give birth on a bloody stage with an audience and the press watching"

"I'm sorry Claire but it's the only thing we can do, we'll just remove everyone and pull the curtains"

"But what if she bleeds out, you said it yourself that when Claire has the babies she'll have to be rushed straight into surgery" Maxi said

"I know and we will, once we have the twins delivered"

"But Claire could die" he exclaimed

"It's the best chance we've got"

"Do it! I'd rather die than them" I panted and then screamed when another contraction hit.

"Shane!" I screamed "I know you hate me but I need you, the twins need you; please don't leave me" I said, tears blurring my vision, he looked down at me with love and anger

"I'm not going anywhere and neither are you, I'll make sure of that" he said and returned to his place holding my hand "And another thing, I could never hate you; I love you too damn much" he smirked and kissed me passionately only to have the moment ruined by me screaming again

"Right Michael is that your name?" the doctor asked which Michael responded with a nod "I need you and this lovely lady here" he said pointing to Eve who blushed "To help Max and the other's to remove everyone from this building, we don't this to go in the news at 10" he smiled, Michael nodded again, grabbed Eve's hand ad left the stage. Shane moved closer and kissed my forehead.

"Don't worry you'll be fine, not that I can say the same for this beautiful dress" he smiled. At first I wasn't sure what he was talking about but then him and the doctor ripped it open so I was just in my underwear. I blushed and Shane smirked.

"Take this jailbait" he said and pulled off the waistcoat so he could reach his shirt and helped me into it. I breathed in scent and felt at home for the first time in months.

"Right that's everyone out" Maxi said as he came bounding up the stairs

"Great, now we can start" the doctor said "I need to get you attached to this machine Claire, so I can monitor yours and the babies' heartbeats, is that ok?"

"Yeh, I just want them safe"

"And they will be Clairey, everything has been ok up until this point; you've just got to calm down ok?"

"Thanks Maxi, for everything; I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without you"

"It was my pleasure" he replied and kissed my forehead making Shane growl

"Shane, calm down, I love you, always have and always will" he smiled at that and sent a smug look towards Maxi; I just rolled my eyes.

"Right Claire we're going to get you in a more comfortable position and then we'll begin"

"Ok"

Somehow, someone managed to get a mattress, cushions, blankets and cold flannels, so now I was sitting on a mountain made of cushions on top of a mattress, with Shane holding my left hand, Maxi on my right, Eve holding damp cloths to my forehead and Michael using his vampire coldness to cool me down.

"Right Claire you're going to need to push, you've lost quite a bit of blood already and if we don't hurry this along then we'll lose you….so PUSH!"

I screamed so loud, that everyone flinched back, I wouldn't be surprised if all my fans could hear me from outside.

"You're doing great Claire, I can see the head so I need you to give me another push and you'll have one of your babies out" I nodded, sweat dripping down my red cheeks, Shane smoothed down my damp hair and murmured supportive words in my ear like 'You're doing so well Claire, I'm so proud of you' and 'You're nearly there babe, soon we'll have one of our babies'. I found it quite sweet actually but what really pissed me off was when he screamed and complained about me hurting his hand

"Shut the fuck up Shane! You try pushing a baby out your vagina, you want pain here it is, if you don't shut the fuck up about your me hurting you then I'll snap every bone in your hand!" I yelled and screamed straight after it, things got hard after that because I was frantically trying to get air.

"Claire, you need to calm down…"

"Fuck you! I can't calm down!"

"I know Claire, but you talking and shouting like this is using up too much air, you're finding it hard to breathe which puts strain on the twins ok?"

"I'm sorry; I don't want to hurt them, I...I..."

"I know Claire; I'm not blaming you, just try not to speak as much ok?" I nodded

A few minutes and a couple of slaps later my baby boy was born, I was beyond exhausted and I still had to give birth to another one! The doctor handed him to me so I could see him briefly before I went back to work

"Can I hold him?" Shane asked, I nodded, kissed Sam's head and handed him over

"I can't believe it, my baby boy; have you thought of any names? Because I know we haven't exactly had time to discuss any?" he asked, his eyes not leaving our son

"I have a couple of names I like?"

"Like what?"

"If Michael agrees, I was thinking Sam Michael Collins?"

Shane looked up from a son and smiled at me and so did Michael

"I think it's a great name" Shane said, I nodded, looking at the two of them together "Right Claire, I know you've just had one of them and you're tired but we really need to get this one out as soon as possible"

"I can't, I'm too tired" I whispered, my eyes shutting

"I know, but you've lost too much blood already"

"I can't" I replied lazily as I closed my eyes, listening to the sound of my machine beeping

"Claire!" Eve yelled in my ear making me jump

"What?"

"You need to get your skinny ass into gear and push this baby out of your vagina A.S.A.P or you're going to die!" she screamed, everyone looking at her in shock. Her words woke me right up and I pushed as if my life depended on it, Ha! I laughed

"Why are you laughing?" Shane asked with a look that said are you crazy?

"Because I just told myself that I was going to push as if my life depended on it…and it does!" I giggled and they all looked at me

"Is that meant to happen?" Shane asked worriedly

"Yeh, we increased the dosage of her medication so she might be a bit loopy" she replied

"Do you get it?" I asked

"Yes Claire I get it ok? But I need you to push for our baby"

And I did, I pushed and pushed until she was here, she was tiny, smaller than Sam but just as beautiful.

"She's gorgeous" I whispered

"I know, just like her mother" Shane said and looked at me "Have you got any name suggestions?"

"I was thinking Molly Eve Collins?"

"Really? You'd name her after my mum?"

"Yes, if you don't mind?"

"No, I love it"

"Good"

"Can I hold her?" Eve asked, I gave her a kiss and handed her over.

"They're safe, that's all I ever wanted" I whispered and closed my eyes.


	54. Chapter 54

Shane's Pov:

I can't believe she has cancer and didn't tell me! This can't be happening, she could die and so could my children and she didn't think I needed to know! And why am I only finding out now? With her about to give birth! Was she ever going to tell me? I'm so angry with her right now…hell I'm fucking furious!

"Shane!" Claire screamed "Please don't go, I'm sorry, I was just so scared that you would make me have an abortion"

"Why would I do that?" I asked angrily, how could she even think that? I love my children and I love her, I'd never make her do something she didn't want to do!

"Because you said you couldn't live without me and if you knew there was a chance I'd survive by having an abortion you'd do it; you tried to bloody kill yourself for fuck sake, I didn't want you to do that"

"That wasn't your fucking decision to make!" I shouted back at her, I know I tried to kill myself but if I'd known I'd support any decision she'd make, wouldn't I? And besides if anything did happen to her, I wouldn't kill myself and leave them with no parents! I know how that feels and I hated it.

"I think we should get Claire to hospital" Michael interrupted us

"I'm afraid that is impossible, moving Claire would be dangerous for all of them; we're going to have to deliver them here" the doctor said

"What! Are you serious? I can't give birth on a bloody stage with an audience and the press watching"

"I'm sorry Claire but it's the only thing we can do, we'll just remove everyone and pull the curtains"

"But what if she bleeds out, you said it yourself that when Claire has the babies she'll have to be rushed straight into surgery" Maxi said, I knew he was helping, but just hearing his voice made be angry, he knew more about my wife and children's situation than me! And I'm the father! I bet he even went to all the scans too!

"I know and we will, once we have the twins delivered"

"But Claire could die" he exclaimed

"It's the best chance we've got"

"Do it! I'd rather die than them" she panted and then screamed when another contraction hit.

"Shane!" she screamed at me "I know you hate me but I need you, the twins need you; please don't leave me" she said, tears filling her eyes. As angry as I was about her not telling me, I wasn't going to leave them, not now, not ever; I'd just have to be angry with her later.

"I'm not going anywhere and neither are you, I'll make sure of that" I said and returned to my place holding her hand "And another thing, I could never hate you; I love you too damn much" I smirked and kissed her passionately only to have the moment ruined by her screaming again

"Right Michael is that your name?" the doctor asked which Michael responded with a nod "I need you and this lovely lady here" he said pointing to Eve who blushed "To help Max and the other's to remove everyone from this building, we don't this to go in the news at 10" he smiled, Michael nodded again, grabbed Eve's hand ad left the stage. I moved closer and kissed her forehead.

"Don't worry you'll be fine, not that I can say the same for this beautiful dress" I smiled at her; she looked at me, confusion clear on her face. I laughed as her beautiful dress was cut open to reveal her scarred, swollen bump. She blushed as she was now only in her sexy underwear. I resisted the urge to make love to her right then and there because if I didn't that would be rather weird seeing as she's about to pop.

"Take this jailbait" I said and pulled off the waistcoat so I could reach my shirt so I could give it to her to wear so she wasn't so embarrassed.

"Right that's everyone out" Maxi said as he came bounding up the stairs

"Great, now we can start" the doctor said "I need to get you attached to this machine Claire, so I can monitor yours and the babies' heartbeats, is that ok?"

"Yeh, I just want them safe"

"And they will be Clairey, everything has been ok up until this point; you've just got to calm down ok?"

"Thanks Maxi, for everything; I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without you" a surge of jealously coursed through my body, I should've been the one to help her with everything not him.

"It was my pleasure" he replied and kissed her forehead making me growl

"Shane, calm down, I love you, always have and always will" she smiled at me. She'd always denied her love to me since we separated and here she was telling everyone! I sent a smug look to Max and saw Claire roll her eyes

"Right Claire we're going to get you in a more comfortable position and then we'll begin"

"Ok"

Somehow, someone managed to get a mattress, cushions, blankets and cold flannels, so now she was sitting on a mountain made of cushions on top of a mattress, with me holding her left hand, Max on my right, Eve holding damp cloths to her forehead and Michael using his vampire coldness to cool her down.

"Right Claire you're going to need to push, you've lost quite a bit of blood already and if we don't hurry this along then we'll lose you….so PUSH!"

She screamed so loud, that everyone flinched back, I hated seeing her in pain.

"You're doing great Claire, I can see the head so I need you to give me another push and you'll have one of your babies out" she nodded, sweat dripping down her red cheeks, I smoothed down her damp hair and murmured supportive words in her ear like 'You're doing so well Claire, I'm so proud of you' and 'You're nearly there babe, soon we'll have one of our babies'. It seemed to have done the trick…well that's what I thought until she squeezed my hands so tight that I swear I heard bones break.

"Claire, babe, you're really hurting my hands…I think it's broken"

"Shut the fuck up Shane! You try pushing a baby out your vagina, you want pain here it is, if you don't shut the fuck up about your me hurting you then I'll snap every bone in your hand!" she yelled and screamed straight after it, things got hard after that because she was frantically trying to get air.

"Claire, you need to calm down…"

"Fuck you! I can't calm down!" oh god! I'd never seen her this angry before, not even when she caught me with Olivia; to be quite honest I thought she was incredibly sexy and badass right now.

"I know Claire, but you talking and shouting like this is using up too much air, you're finding it hard to breathe which puts strain on the twins ok?"

"I'm sorry; I don't want to hurt them, I...I..."

"I know Claire; I'm not blaming you, just try not to speak as much ok?" she nodded

A few minutes and a couple of slaps later my baby boy was born, he was so handsome, I can't believe he was here; I was a dad at last! Claire sagged against me, she was completely exhausted and it wasn't even over yet! Claire held him fro a brief moment before I asked to hold him.

"Can I hold him?" I asked, she nodded, kissed his head and handed him over to me. I can't put into words how I felt, my heart swelled as I saw my boy for the first time. I'd finally found a purpose for my existence…I was finally home.

"I can't believe it, my baby boy; have you thought of any names? Because I know we haven't exactly had time to discuss any?" I asked, my eyes never once leaving my boy

"I have a couple of names I like?"

"Like what?"

"If Michael agrees, I was thinking Sam Michael Collins?"

I finally looked up from our son and smiled at her and so did Michael

"I think it's a great name" I said, Claire was such a great person and I was so happy that she was the mother of my children. I held Sam Michael Collins in my arms, rocking him backwards and forwards, I could feel Claire's eyes on me but I couldn't look at anything other than him.

"Right Claire, I know you've just had one of them and you're tired but we really need to get this one out as soon as possible"

"I can't, I'm too tired" she whispered, her eyes shutting, my happy feelings were replaced by fear; I can't lose her now…I've only just got her back!

"I know, but you've lost too much blood already" the doctor said

"I can't" she replied lazily as she closed her eyes.

"Claire!" Eve yelled in her ear making her jump

"What?" she asked weakly

"You need to get your skinny ass into gear and push this baby out of your vagina A.S.A.P or you're going to die!" she screamed, everyone looking at her in shock. Her words seemed to wake her right up because she pushed…and then started laughing?

"Why are you laughing?" I asked with a look that said are you crazy?

"Because I just told myself that I was going to push as if my life depended on it…and it does!" she giggled

"Is that meant to happen?" I asked the doctor worriedly

"Yeh, we increased the dosage of her medication so she might be a bit loopy" he replied

"Do you get it?" she asked

"Yes Claire I get it ok? But I need you to push for our baby" I replied

And she did, she pushed and pushed until she was here, she was tiny, smaller than Sam but just as beautiful…our baby girl. I'd handed Sam over to the doctors to get checked out so my hands were now free.

"She's gorgeous" Claire whispered

"I know, just like her mother" I said and looked at her "Have you got any name suggestions?"

"I was thinking Molly Eve Collins?" I was shocked and happy

"Really? You'd name her after my mum?"

"Yes, if you don't mind?"

"No, I love it" I replied

"Good"

"Can I hold her?" Eve asked, she gave her a kiss and handed her over. Eve looked at me to ask if I wanted a hold first, which I accepted. Just when I got my girl in my arms Claire whispered "They're safe, that's all I ever wanted" and closed her eyes. Fear shot through my body, everyone froze for less than a minute before total chaos broke out. I was being told to move away and so was everyone else. The doctors swarmed around Claire like a bee would with honey. I waited impatiently, with my baby girls in my arms, not knowing if Claire would live or die. I closed my eyes to block out the image of Claire's body twisting everyone time they tried to revive her, my cheeks damp; blocking the sound of the repetitive beeping noise that told me I was losing her; I came so close to having a family and here she was dying.

"We need to get her into surgery!" a voice screamed

"What! But if you move her she'll die" I heard Max shout

"And if we leave her here she'll die…moving her to hospital is the best chance she has" he then turned to face me "You're her next of kin, it's up to you" I froze again, I can't have this kind of responsibility, I don't want it to be my fault if she dies; I looked around the room at everyone's worried faces, all waiting for me to say something.

"Do it, if there's a chance that these children with have a mum no matter how small I'll take it" I whispered looking down at Molly who was kicking her little legs. The paramedics had been there the whole time, not that I noticed; I followed them out of the building to be met with worried fans crying their eyes out and nosey reporters shoving their cameras in my face. I tried my best to hide my two children but with my hands full there wasn't much I could do. Michael noticing my uneasiness stood by my side blocking their paths so they couldn't reach me. I climbed in behind them, my babies asleep in my arms, the paramedics fussing over Claire whilst I sat in silence all the way to the hospital. They rushed past me, I couldn't get my body to function properly; in complete shock I slowly walked through the hospital entrance. My mind shut down as I reached the reception desk, I stared dumbly at the woman behind the desk, her eyes warm and filled with concern, her lips were moving but I couldn't hear what she was saying, everything in me shut down. She looked scared, asking her colleagues for help, not knowing what to do with me as I just stood there shaking, blood all over me and two babies in my arms. She came out from behind the desk, her hand touched my arm and I slowly turned my head to where it was placed, it was like my brain was disconnected from my body. All I wanted to do was to be with Claire and our children but my brain couldn't tell my body to move. From the corner of my eye I saw Michael and the other's come running through the door, within seconds they were in front of me.

"Shane!" Michael shouted "What is it? Is she…she…dead?" his voice broke his face also damp from crying, I couldn't respond.

"Shane, please speak to me" he begged but I still just stood there staring. He turned to the woman standing next to me, his mouth moving just like hers but no sound came out. I felt my babies being lifted from my arms by complete strangers and I couldn't stop it. Michael's face so close to mine, his face filled with worry as he tried to shake me.

"Snap out of it!" I saw his mouth move but again no sound and then I felt a burning sensation across my cheek and Eve's face appeared next to Michael. Her make up smudged and running down her face, her panda eye's filled with shock. Then I realised she'd slapped me.

"Shane, I know you're in shock but Claire needs you and so does your children" I nodded slowly, relief flashed across their faces as I let them pull me down the corridor.

"Where's Sam and Molly?" I asked

"They were taken to get checked out because they were early, don't worry they'll be fine" she reassured me "And Claire?" I asked quietly afraid of the answer

"She's been taken straight into surgery, we won't be told anything for a while" I nodded

"Do you want a coffee? You're going to need it if you're planning on staying"

"Yeh…please" she nodded and grabbed Michael's hand

I wasn't alone for long because Max and all of Claire's bodyguards, dancers and whatever other employees she had with her arrived. Michael and Eve came back shortly after so things were a little less awkward. I drank my coffee in silence until a nurse came out to see me; I got to my feet instantly.

"Is it about Claire?"

"No I'm afraid, there's still no news yet but I'm here to tell you that you can see your children now. Sam Michael Collins is the heaviest weighing 6lbs 7 ounces whereas Molly Eve Collins weighs 5lbs 2 ounces. Because they're early and still quite small we'd like to keep them in hospital until we get their weights up till they're at least 7lbs" I nodded

"Can you take me to see them please?" I asked

"Of course, you could feed them if you'd like?"

"Yes please" I replied nervously

"Ok well follow me and I'll get everything ready" I nodded and turned to Michael and Eve

"Can you guys come with me please?" I asked shyly, I'd never been this shy or nervous before; their shocked expressions told me that.

"Of course" Eve said jumping up and linking her arm with mine, I smiled at her

"Can you let us know if there's any news about Claire please?" I asked Max

"Of course, you just feed your children"

The nurse showed me how to feed, change and bath them; I was so nervous that my hands were shaking.

"I can't believe Shane Collins the badass; fighter is scared to bath his baby" Michael laughed

"Hey! It's not my fault, I don't want to drop them or drown them; I've never done this before and when Lyssa was born I was still quite young so I never did it" they just laughed

I fed Sam first; I guess he took after me in the food department because he finished his bottle in seconds; once I'd burped him I went on the feed Molly. She on the other hand, was a lot harder to feed; she was very fussy and wouldn't take much milk. However, the nurse assured me that it was nothing serious and she'd grow out of it.

"Hey don't worry, if she's anything like her dad she'll be drinking non stop; you've just got to give it time"

Eve decided to go all proud aunty on us and made us take a numerous amount of pictures. Just as I was about to take my hundredth photo with the twins, Max came bursting into the room. I froze.

"The doctor's want to speak to you" I nodded and followed, Molly in my arms and Sam in Eve's.

"Mr Collins?" the doctor asked when I arrived

"Yeh that's me; how's Claire?"

"We have her stabilized, there were some complications but she'd stable for now. We need to start her cancer treatment as soon as possible for her to live, only we need your consent"

"Yeh, you have it; give me whatever you need me to sign and get back in there"

"Well the papers are on there way but we won't be able to operate tonight"

"Why not?"

"We need to let Claire's body recuperate, she's just given both to twins and we've just managed to stop the bleeding"

"When can you do it?"

"I a couple of days minimum" I nodded

"If I were you, I'd go home and get some rest because the next few days are going to be tough"

"I'd rather stay here with my wife and children"

"If that's the case, I'll see about getting you a bed to sleep in"

"Thank you" I replied as he walked off

"Do you want us to stay with you?" Michael asked

"I don't mind, if you want you can stay but if you'd rather go then I understand; it's going to be really cramped in here"

"Ok, we'll see you tomorrow; I'll get some things for the twins"

"Thanks…of and could you bring a bag with you, it's in my wardrobe; it's big and blue?"

"Will do"

I hugged them goodbye and went back into the twins, rocking them backwards and forwards in my arms, I fell asleep happy, the twins were ok and Claire was going to get better.


	55. Chapter 55

Shane's Pov:

I woke from my sleep because someone was shaking me. My eyes snapped open and my arms were empty. Where were Sam and Molly? Michael noticing my confusion/ worry said "The nurse came in last night and saw them in your arms; she took them back to their incubators"

"Oh" I replied "Has there been any news on Claire? What's the time?"

"It's 10.30 and no, there's no news on Claire, well I'm not actually sure, they wouldn't tell us anything this morning because we weren't related"

"Ok, I'll go check…shit! We haven't told Claire's parents or any of her friends back in Hollywood"

"Well we couldn't really phone them when we didn't really know what was happening"

"They still should've been told, I'll phone them now and then speak to the doctor, can you keep and eye on Claire for me please?"

"Of course"

I walked out of the room, down the stairs and out the front doors, the Texas heat hitting my face almost immediately. I pulled out my phone, scrolled down my contacts until it landed on Kathy.

"Shane, what do you want?"

"It's about Claire, you know she had the concert yesterday…"

"Yes I already knew that, look I don't even know why I'm talking to you, you broke my daughter's heart and I'll never stop hating you because of it. I need to know why? Why did you cheat on her? You were newly weds for goodness sake!"

"Look I don't really want to talk about this now…"

"I don't care what you want Shane, you'll talk to me and that's final; you should just be glad that it's me you're talking to and not my husband!" she yelled

"I said I'm not talking about it, I have something to tell you…" but she interrupted me again

"Answer the question…"

"Shut up!" I yelled down the phone at her and immediately regretted it

"How dare you…"

"Look, I'm sorry I shouted at you, it's just I have something very important to tell you and you're making it even harder so please can you just let me say what I have to say?" I begged

"Fine"

"As I was saying, Claire's concert was yesterday and I found out she had cancer…" she gasped but didn't say anything "And while she was on stage she started bleeding"

"No…oh god no"

"They had to deliver to twins on stage because there was a huge risk that if they moved Claire, her and the twins would die. She gave birth to a boy first Sam Michael Collins weighing the heaviest at 6lbs 7 ounces and then exactly 4 minutes later to Molly Eve Collins who weighs 5lbs 2 ounces"

"Are they ok?"

"The doctors said they were perfect considering they were early but that they want them to stay in hospital until they both reach at least 7lbs"

"And Claire? How's she?"

"She's…she's…I don't really know, they managed to stabilize her last night, but they can't start treatment for a couple of days until she's healthier. I've just woken up so I haven't had a chance to speak to the doctor yet, I thought I should tell you first"

"Thank you Shane and I'm sorry"

"It's understandable, if someone had done that to Sam or Molly I would've been the same"

"But, you told me it was important and I didn't listen" she cried down the phone

"It's fine, honestly, oh and would you be able to tell her friends in Hollywood for me; I just really need to see how she is"

"Of course and Shane…"

"I'd really like it if you could come to Morganville, I could arrange it with Amelie and get Max to send Claire's jet for all of you. I know she'll want to see you when she wakes up…and I'd really like to introduce you to our children"

"Thank you, I'd love that"

"Well, I'll go see how Claire is and then I'll arrange everything, I'll phone you back in an hour?"

"That would be great"

"No problems…bye" and I hung up, sucked in a deep breath and walked back into the hospital. That was one of the hardest phone calls I've ever had to make. I made my way back up to Claire's room to find everyone already there.

"How was it?" Michael asked

"Absolutely horrible. I'll tell you about it later, right now I just want to see the doctor"

"Ok"

I walked back out of the room and off to the desk to see if I can find out where the doctor was.

"Hi, can you tell me where Claire Collins' doctor is please?"

"May I ask what for?"

"I want to know how she's progressing"

"I'll just phone him, why don't you take a seat?" and I did, completely blocking out the sound of her voice. I don't know how long I had to wait but standing right in front of me was Claire's doctor.

"How is she doing?"

"She's still stable but unfortunately, we aren't able to wait for her to recuperate, the cancer's spreading daily and if we leave it any longer, there'll be no saving her"

"So when are you going to start?" I asked worriedly

"I was just about to come and see you, I need some paperwork signed and once that's done we can start operating in 2 hours" that soon!

"How does all this work? Will she need more than one operation?"

"It depends how well today goes, hopefully we can get the stomach removed today, if not then we'll just have to try again tomorrow"

I signed all of the paperwork, went and told the others and then headed off to see my babies. I sent some photos to Claire's parents because I knew they'd really want to see them. once I had fed my angels, we all waited for Claire to be taken into surgery, Claire's parents and her friends from Hollywood had phoned and said they were on their way…another problem I had to deal with…it was only going to get harder.


	56. Chapter 56

Shane's Pov:

Claire parents and friends form Hollywood arrived early the next morning about half an hour after I'd woken up. I was in the middle of feeding Molly when they came into the room, I nearly had a heart attack when I heard his voice…and I swear I nearly shat my pants when I saw the stormy look on her dads face. I'd had my back to them when they had walked in due to the fact that I was also watching Sam who had just been fed and was now kicking his legs on the changing mat.

"You bastard! You did this!" he screamed from behind me, I turned a little so I was looking at him which made feeding Molly very hard.

"I'm going to kill you!" he shouted and lunged at me.

I turned around fully in order to move out of the way so he couldn't hurt Molly and he stopped when he realised I was holding his granddaughter in my arms.

"Stop!" I shouted with one of my hands outstretched in front of me to put distance between us "You can kill be later, right now I'm feeding my daughter and I'd prefer it if she wasn't hurt"

He froze and Kathy pulled on his arm to stop him from doing anything.

"Is…is that Molly?" she whispered

"Yes it is and Michael's behind me on the changing mat" I said before turning around and nodding my head in his direction.

"I'd appreciate it if you could leave me alone to feed them before you started shouting. I'm sure you don't want your first memory of holding them to be full of tears and screaming"

"Of course…We'll go" Kathy said

"No we won't, we're going to…"

"We're going now honey, Shane's right, no matter what he's done, the most important thing to remember in this situation is Molly and Sam; so we're going to go and speak to him when we're finished…ok?"

"Fine but this isn't over Collins"

"I know that but right now I don't care about how much you hate me, the only thing I'm interested in is getting my children to a healthy weight" I almost growled. The looked shocked at my anger but left the room.

I looked down at my little girl who had a sacred expression upon her tiny face.

"I'm sorry daddy shouted baby and I'm sorry I scared you. Once you've finished your milk we can go see your grandma and grandpa yeh? I love you angel" I said and kissed her head

Once I'd finished feeding and burping Molly and I'd changed both her and Sam I carried them both out of the room in search of Claire's parents. Unfortunately my hope of not finding them went out the window because they were waiting on the seats right outside the room.

"Shane" Kathy said before standing up

"Hey, sorry about before; it's just been a hectic couple of days and Claire and the kids are my main priority at the moment"

"Well that good to hear…may I?"

"Of course grandma, who would you like to hold first? Sam Michael Collins or Molly Eve Collins?"

"I'll hold Sam seeing as he's closest"

"Of course he you go, support her head" I instantly said and then mentally kicked myself because I just remembered she'd already had children

"I know Shane" she laughed

"Sorry it kinda comes naturally"

"That's fine, I was the same when Claire was born; it shows you care" she smiled at me which I returned

Once she had Sam secure in her arms I turned to Les.

"So would you like to hold your granddaughter?" I asked hesitantly not knowing whether he was going to rip my head off again

"Really?" he asked in complete shock

"I may have treated Claire badly but I still love her, I've never stopped and I love these children and want their grandparents in their life, you can hate me all you want but please don't hate them…they're absolutely perfect"

"Thank you, I'd love to hold her"

"Molly, you're going to meet your grandpa" I whispered to her, kissed her head and handed her over

"Support her…" I stopped myself this time and they laughed

"She's beautiful" he whispered "She looks so much like Claire when she was born"

"I hope she turns out like her too, if she turns out like me then she's pretty much screwed" I mumbled hoping no one would hear me and looked to the floor

"You may have made some bad decisions in your life Shane and yes I hate you for what you did to Claire but if either one of these children turn out anything like you then they'll be just perfect. You're smart and caring and most of the time you're selfless. I'd be honoured to have my grandchildren turn out like you" Kathy said and in that minute I felt happy, they truly accepted me into their family, more so now that the kids are born and I'm not actually with Claire than they ever did when I was with her. I was about to reply when the doors smashed open.

"Shane come quick…its Claire"


	57. Chapter 57

Shane's Pov:

My heart sank when I heard what came out of Eve's mouth. She'd finally given up…my Claire had finally stopped fighting. I was a single father to the two most beautiful children ever, a few minutes ago I was ecstatic…but now it feels like my heart had been ripped from my chest. I'd lost her. I dropped to my knees, grateful for the fact I'd handed my children over to their grandparents; I don't think I would have been able to keep them in my arms otherwise. My mind went into shutdown, my body froze and the outside world was slowly fading from around me, the frantic voices I'd previously been hearing turned into a soft buzzing sound, before silence fell. Her face clouded my vision, her beautiful smile engulfing me in warmth and love until Eve's replaced it.

"Shane!" she shouted in my face, her hands on my shoulders shaking me out of this trance "Shane! You need to listen to me, its not bad news; surgery went well…they think she's going to be ok" Eve frantically got out before I could fade back into my trance. Just like that, it was like the bubble surrounding me popped and realisation hit me…she was going to be ok. I felt my heart pumping faster against my ribcage, my brain began functioning again and I slowly rose from my knees.

"She…she's going to be ok?" I whispered in disbelief just to clarify what I'd just been told, making sure it wasn't a dream

"Yes Shane! She's going to be ok" Eve beamed brightly "Of course, it won't be easy and there's always a chance that things could change and go wrong but right now our Claire bear is still fighting" before I knew it, I was in a bear hug with Eve, I lifted her off the floor and spun her around in happiness. There's still a chance we could be together.

"Can I see her? Is she awake?" I asked, panic clear in my voice

"Yes you can see her but no she's not awake yet, she's still unconscious from surgery but it's only a matter of time before she's awake"

"Where is she?" I asked

"She's in room 6 on the intensive care ward, we can't go in, family only" she frowned

I turned around to face Claire's parents, neither had said anything yet, they both just stared at the two of us in silence whilst swaying slightly to keep the twins satisfied.

"Will you come with me? Or are you going to stay and look after the twins? You could always go first and I'll look after the twins; then go in after….?"

"Thanks Shane, but I think it would be best if you went in first, after all you're still her husband. We'll look after Sam and Molly and go and see her once you've finished" Kathy said sweetly

"Thank you so much" I whispered, nodding slightly towards Les before turning back to Eve and following her to where Claire was.

The walk to the intensive care unit was short and quiet, which I was happy about, I couldn't take anymore 'she'll be ok' comments, they didn't know what was going to happen, I know they're only worried but after hearing the same thing more than 50 times in the space of 24 hours really started to annoy you. I stopped when I reached Claire's room; Michael had been sitting on the bench just next to it, he rose when he saw me. He looked exhausted, just like the rest of us.

"Hey guys, you should go home and get some sleep, you both look exhausted" I said

"You can't get rid of us that easily, besides we've had more sleep than you have daddy" she said with a wink causing a smile to spread across my worn out face. I took a deep breath and took to cold door handle in my right hand, freezing on the spot for a second; scared of what I'd see when I opened the door. The door opened with a creak and beeping sounds filled my ears, I took a step inside the room and shut the door to give us some privacy. Claire lay peacefully in the oversized bed, her stomach swollen and her skin a sickly pale. Her heart monitor sounded repeatedly indicating just how strong she really was. I nervously stepped closer to the bed and took her hand in mine, I hadn't realised before that she was still wearing her wedding ring; I smoothed the cold gold band with my fingers and leaned down for a kiss.

I don't know how long I spent in that room talking to Claire and just watching her, I lost track of time and the next thing I know her bright, curious eyes were staring at me softly.

"Claire" I whispered

"Shane" she replied in a hoarse voice.


	58. Chapter 58

Claire's Pov:

My body was burning. Pain coursed through my body like electricity through a current. It was dark and I couldn't move, all I could hear was a continuous, annoying beeping noise that I wanted so desperately to stop. I tried to fight this darkness, I needed to know what was happening, I wanted to see my beautiful babies after the brief meeting I had with them. I didn't know how long I'd been like this, the last thing I remember was handing my gorgeous baby girl to Eve before being engulfed my darkness; for all I knew, I could be in a coma, it could be years from then…my babies could be all grown up! The beeping sound I heard in the background became louder and faster as I put myself into a panicked state. Trying to calm myself knowing it wouldn't do me any good to be in more pain I thought about Shane, the look on his face when the twins had been born; he looked into my soul and it was as if the pain slipped away. As the noise became quieter, a familiar sound filled the room; a deep snoring sound that could only come from Shane, a noise I craved to hear when I was back in Hollywood. Where I longed to be tucked safely into his arms at night. My hand burned with warmth, I just realised, but not from the pain of my cancer but from the warmth and love of Shane holding my pale, ghostly hand. A tingly feeling ran through me when I felt him bring my hand to his lips, the coldness of my wedding ring came into contact with his soft, kissable lips. Heat spread throughout my whole body, from my head to the tip of my toes; suddenly the darkness was fading and a bright light seeped into my eyes. They burned from the sudden contact with the blinding lights above me but I forced myself to continue through the pain, knowing that the sooner I opened my eyes the sooner I could find out how long I'd been stuck in that cold, lonely darkness so that I could see my babies.

The fight to open my eyes was successfully won moments later and I came face to face with a sleeping Shane; he was always a sexy sleeper, one I've missed immensely. As if like magic his stunning brown eyes snapped open and focused on my face, his expression changed from shocked and worried to happy and excited in a matter of seconds.

"Claire" he whispered gently, as if trying not to break me

"Shane" I replied in a croaky voice, my throat was dry and painful. I grabbed at it in a silly attempt to stop it. Shane must have realised what was wrong.

"What is it? Are you thirsty? Does it hurt?" I nodded so I didn't feel the pain again. He stood up, the warmth left my body as he let go of my hand to stand up. He turned quickly and poured me a cup of water. He handed it over to me, but I was embarrassingly too week to hold it by myself, he noticed my shaky hands and guided the cup to my mouth where I drank slowly. The feeling of cold water down my burning throat was pure bliss; once I'd had enough he placed the cup down on the table next to me and stepped back. He turned around again and headed for the door. My heart stopped momentarily, he hadn't forgiven me; he didn't love me anymore! I jerked forward quickly and screamed as the pain pounded against my weak body.

"Ahh! Please!" I screamed desperately "Don't go…I...I'm sorry!" I whispered suddenly out of breath

He raced back to my side so quickly I was dizzy.

"Shhh, I'm not leaving you, I'll be back, I just need to get the doctor; your throat hurts doesn't it? And now so does the rest of you thanks to me" he finished with a frown and I replied with a nod

He leaned forward and kissed my forehead, I closed my eyes inhaling his scent.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. Once I've spoken to the doctor, I'll go tell everyone the good news and bring our children here to see you. I'm sure you're dying to see them?" he flinched realising what he had just said. I nodded enthusiastically and watched as he sauntered out of the room. I leaned back slowly into my pillow, trying to reduce the pain as much as possible but I failed in the end and pain once again filled my body. My mouth erupted with a scream; I gripped at the bed sheets and closed my eyes. Something was wrong I could feel it, my screams continued until I tasted blood in my mouth. I jolted forward as I fell into a coughing fit, blood sprayed all over the bed as I continued to cough up blood, my airways were blocked and I was finding it hard to breathe. Panic set in, I continued screaming to attract attention; what was happening to me?

Shane's Pov:

She was beautiful even when she was hooked up to wires. I hated leaving her, especially when she hurt herself trying to stop me from going; I hate that she's in pain and that I caused it but she needed to see the doctor! Once I'd located Claire's doctor and told him Claire had woken up, we'd split off, he went to see Claire, and I went to go tell the others. I finally reached the family room where everyone was sitting.

"Shane? What is it? What's happened?" Michael asked quickly

"She's awake!" I almost shouted, not realising that the twins were asleep with their grandparents. Everyone got to their feet in seconds and we were en route to Claire's room when we heard the alarm sounding above us. A dark, twisted feeling settled in my stomach and I instantly knew something was wrong with Claire. I picked up the pace, everyone followed my lead realising that I had noticed something. When I finally reached Claire's room I was shocked beyond belief. Claire's body was jerking around, blood was spraying out her mouth like a broken sprinkler and the doctors were trying their best to stop it.

"We need to get her into surgery NOW!" her doctor screamed, we all moved out of the way and watched as Claire was taken away. I dropped to my knees.

"She was okay when she woke up! How can this be happening?" I screamed and punched the floor, splitting my knuckles open in the process.

"Calm down mate you're going to wake Molly and Sam; we just need to be patient"

"I have been fucking patient! I waited for her to wake up and now she's been taken back into surgery" I yelled before bursting into tears. I covered my face but it was no use trying to hide my tears, everyone could hear my sobs. Eve sat beside me and pulled me into a hug.

"Hey Shane it'll be ok, Claire's a fighter! How many times has she proven that? Like a hundred? She should have died during birth and she didn't, she should have died during surgery but she didn't….she won't die now!"

"I hope you're right Eve, I really do" I whispered. We sat there in the same position until the doctor came back with Claire. I jumped to my feet as soon as I saw them.

"How is she? What happened? Why did it happen? Have you fixed it? Will she be ok? Can I..."

"One question at a time Mr Collins" the doctor replied after listening to my long, frantic list of questions

"I'm sorry"

"Its perfectly alright, I understand that you're all worried. Claire is fine, there was a tear in some of the stitches in her stomach, did she move too quickly at all?" he asked me

"Shit! It's my fault! She was in pain and I went to get you, she got the wrong idea and thought I was leaving her….she jerked forward, I thought it wasn't serious! If I had I wouldn't have left her"

"Its fine, if we hadn't have got to her when we did she could have choked to death but we did and we've fixed it. We'll keep an eye on her and when she wakes up she'll have to take it easy. She'll be ok Mr Collins. We managed to remove most of the cancer, when she's stronger we'll remove the rest of the infected stomach and then she'll have to have intense chemotherapy treatment in order to attack any remaining cancer cells. We'll keep an eye on her but I'm afraid it's a waiting game"

"Thank you and can I..." he interrupted me

"Yes Mr Collins you can see Claire, she's still unconscious from all the anaesthetics but you're welcome to sit with her"

"Thank you" he nodded and left

"What did I tell you Collins?" Eve said smugly

"Shut up and let me see my wife" I said and smirked, I took Molly from Les and then took Sam from Kathy before entering Claire's room. I wanted to have them with me for when she woke up, they were asleep at the moment so it wasn't that bad; I just wanted us to be a proper family when she woke up.


	59. Chapter 59

Shane's POV:

I sat in complete silence in the battered blue armchair next to Claire's bed, with Sam asleep in my right arm and Molly asleep in my left. I couldn't believe how lucky I was. 11 months ago I married the woman I love and 2 months later I broke her heart, yet here I am today 7 months later holding the two most beautiful babies I've ever seen. When Claire went into labour on stage and told me she had stomach cancer and that there was a very high chance that she would die my heart stopped beating and a piece of me died. Realisation hit me that I may never be able to make things right with Claire and we'd never be a family again with the twins, just remembering that night brings tears to my eyes. Looking back on my life all I see is darkness and countless crap but when Claire entered my life it was like someone finally turned on the lights. I was no longer the lost boy who'd lost his mother and sister and whose abusive father forced him to commit numerous crimes; I had a purpose. With Claire by my side I became a better person, a better me and I was finally loved; I finally had a family, one I'd craved for so long and yet I almost ruined that. I don't know what drove me to have an affair, I think it was the thrill of secrets and not getting caught but it was the worst mistake of my life. When Claire left my life, shit hit the fan for me, I was suicidal and I drunk a lot and I slept with loads of pointless girls that meant nothing to me; I'd flipped the switch for my emotions and stopped caring (well I tried to at least). I never thought I'd be given a third chance at happiness but that shows just how special Claire is. She's giving someone as worthless and fucked up as myself another chance and for that I will always be grateful. Hearing the news that surgery went well and that she'd be fine fixed the cracks in my broken heart; but I'm not stupid, I know things aren't going to be easy. She will still needed intensive treatment and long term care, that with the addition of twins, her music career, her publicity, my restaurant and my club; things are going to be extremely hard for us. She may have overcome this huge hurdle but she has the rest of the track to run.

I don't know how long I was deep in thought for whilst looking at Molly and Sam but Eve tapping me on the shoulder dragged me from my thoughts.

"Hey, she'll be okay, I know she's still got a long way to go but you're not in this alone Shane. You have me and Michael to help and I heard her parents making arrangements with Amelie to get temporary accommodation whilst Claire's in Morganville. So they'll be there to help with Claire and the twins too. You have staff to look after the club and restaurant if necessary and some of Claire's friends from Hollywood are on their way here too. So don't panic. Enjoy your babies and enjoy Claire's successful surgery before worrying about everything else okay?" she said softly before kissing my cheek and taking the seat next to me

"Thanks Eve that means a lot, I'm going to need a lot of help; as Michael's probably told you, I know nothing about how to look after kids" I smiled at her before smiling down at my two angels

"Haha, yeah he told me about your shaky hands but that's natural, you haven't been around kids before and it's not like you or Claire went to any classes to find out what to expect. But that's where I come in and you know I love kids and it's not like I can have any myself so I'd be happy to help" she smiled sadly

"Oh god Eve I'm sorry. Here I am moaning about being scared and not knowing what to do with a baby when you can't have any children. It was really insensitive and I'm sorry for putting my foot in it"

"Hey, its fine, it's always going to be a touchy subject for me but we can always adopt and in the mean time I have my niece and nephew to look after" she smiled, leaned towards me and took Molly from my arms.

"Even so, I should have been more thoughtful"

"Shane seriously its fine and it's also the least of our problems. We just need to focus on getting Claire healthy and cancer free and getting the twins to 7lb so they can go home"

"You're right, I don't think getting them to gain weight will be too difficult. Sam already drinks a lot and Molly, well she's my daughter so she'll probably have my appetite too"

"When do you think Claire will wake up?" Eve asked breaking the silence

"Well the doctor said not for another hour at the least, surgery was intense so her body needs to recover; they want her to stay unconscious for as long as possible. Where is everyone else by the way?"

"Err…Michael has gone back to the house to get some clothes for all of us and some of the stuff you bought for the twins. Oh and my purse so I can go wild at the hospital gift shop. Kathy and Les are going back to their old house with Amelie to get some sleep, I said I'd call if there was any problems. David is sorting out the press about Claire's cancer and health and all of that business. Claire's bodyguards are surrounding her room so no journalists can get in and I think that's everyone?! She concluded with a large intake of breath

"Yeah that sounds about right. So I take it the world know Claire has had the twins?"

"Yeah I think so why?"

"Just means there will be a lot more visitors. I wouldn't be surprised if Myrnin and Oliver turned up. Rad and Billy said they wanted to see the twins when they were born and because they're born in Morganville I'm sure I'll get a visit from them too" I sighed

"And I take it you don't want visitors?"

"Well it's not that I don't want them to visit but I don't think it's fair that everyone else will meet the twins before Claire does, she is their mother after all and so she should be able to spend time with them first before everyone else turns up. That and the fact that I know it's going to create so much drama. I'm sure her Hollywood friends will have something to say about me. I just don't need the hassle, Claire's really ill and I don't want her to be surrounded by pushy people asking her questions when she comes round. My main priority at the moment are Claire, Sam and Molly; I can't be dealing with pointless chatter with people I don't know" I huffed

"Wow, you seem worked up"

"Well can you blame me?"

"No, I understand, I'll keep the visitors to a minimum if you want? Close friends and family? So Kathy and Les, me and Michael and her cousin Becky? Anyone else can't come in unless you say?"

"Sounds good to me"

"I'll give a list to Max and the other bodyguards then just before I leave. You know you should really try to get some sleep Shane. You look wiped out"

"I can't sleep, I want to be there when Claire wakes up and I want to be there for the twins"

"And you will, I'll look after the twins whilst you sleep and I'll wake you if I think Claire's waking up? You haven't slept properly in 3 days and you won't be any good to any of them if you're passing out from exhaustion. Besides as you said, Claire won't be awake for a while yet and the twins are asleep"

"Fine, but if you so much as moves her finger you wake me up; you understand"

"Yes sir, now sleep, give me Molly and I'll sort them out okay?"

"Okay and thanks Eve, I love you"

"I love you too Shane" I drifted off to sleep shortly after Eve kissing my forehead

As the darkness surrounded me I entered the dream world. I was in the meadows running, the long grass upon my legs felt so real as I ran further into the field. I heard a beautiful laugh echoing around me as the sun shone brightly in the sky. Her face popped out of the bushes, my beautiful girl looked like an angel in her white sundress and her smile warmed my heart. My little man tugged on my trouser leg as I came to a stop, he had the same cheeky grin as myself but he had his mother's gorgeous eyes.

'_Daddy, Daddy, quick come with me; I know where Mummy's hiding!'_ he exclaimed before running ahead of me with his sister. Their laughter guiding me through the grass

'_Look Daddy there she is, she's getting away Daddy! Quick get her!' _Molly squeaked and chased after Claire who was retreating into her hiding place

I finally reached Claire and we kissed so passionately my toes tingled

'_Eww Daddy!' _Molly and Sam shrieked

'_I'm going to get you munchkins!' _I laughed and chased after them

My family.


End file.
